Man convicted of felony assault for punching woman at No Kings protest in Prescott Valley

A 65-year-old Dewey man who punched a woman unconscious at a “No Kings” protest on the Fourth of July was convicted last week of felony aggravated assault.

Phillip Thomas Delaney, 65, was found guilty July 17 stemming from the attack that happened along Highway 69 in Prescott Valley.

Prosecutors said Delaney approached demonstrators on July 4, 2025, and tried to engage with them.

When he was ignored, he got in the face of the woman and began yelling. She raised a protest sign in front of her face, bumping the brim of his hat. Delaney punched the woman and shoved her, causing her to fall and hit her head on a metal railing.

She lost consciousness and suffered a significant concussion.

When the woman’s 74-year-old husband stepped in to protect her, Delaney punched him too, cutting his head.

The court found that Delaney attacked the victim because of her political affiliation.

“While I disagree with their message, I will always defend their right to speak it,” Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said in a statement. “In America, we answer speech we dislike with more speech, not with fists, threats or violence.”

Delaney faces more than three years in prison on the felony charge when he is sentenced August 24.

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