A Kansas high school physics teacher has been pulled from his chair, cuffed, and arrested after allegedly clapping in support of speakers opposing a data center.
According to the Emporia Police Department, 37-year-old Lux Claridge, who teaches at Emporia High School, was arrested on July 22 for “disruptive conduct” after he allegedly joined several individuals applauding those speaking out against the planned Flint Hills Digital Campus data center at a city meeting.
The police say Claridge “continued this behavior and was directed to leave the meeting. Claridge did not comply with law enforcement’s efforts to remove him from the premises, requiring officers to physically carry him out of the meeting. Claridge was subsequently arrested and booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct.”
The zoning changes facilitating the construction of the data center were then passed.
“I’m glad to be out, but this is an inconvenience, really.”
Claridge posted bail following his arrest, with KCBD reporting that he said: “I’m glad to be out, but this is an inconvenience, really. It’s not really deterring me from speaking out or I guess, clapping.”
Those present at the meeting say they were shocked at how the cops treated Claridge. His wife, Jessica Danford, said seeing him taken away in cuffs was “a lot to handle”, with his friend Caleb Rankin saying he was amazed someone as law-abiding as Claridge would be arrested: “Out of all the people that I knew, them getting arrested, I thought someone used a different name or something.”
A community member present at the meeting has said the way Claridge was treated has left them afraid: “We are citizens of this community. We have a right to do our constitutionally protected activities, which is exactly what they’re violating at this time as well. I think we’re all in a state of fear because of what this government’s doing to us.”
KVOE notes widespread local concern about the data center’s environmental impact, the amount of water it will use, and the noise it will generate.
To that end, a petition with 1,400 signatures from locals was delivered to the City offices on July 3, though despite “all legal requirements having been followed”, the petition was rejected as “the pages and affidavits were not submitted in a way that clearly detailed who had witnessed the signings of which pages and on which days.”
The Emporia Police Department has said that Claridge’s arrest was merely part of their commitment to ensure that “public meetings are conducted safely and in an orderly manner.” Claridge is due in court in September and says he plans to plead not guilty.
Published: Jul 29, 2026 06:28 am