Utahn in water rights dispute charged with making fake bomb as ‘scare tactic’

IVINS, Washington County — An Ivins man allegedly involved in a water rights dispute has been charged with setting up a realistic-looking bomb to try and scare people away.

Carlos Enrique Oliver-Dean, 70, was charged Tuesday in 5th District Court with possession of a hoax weapon of mass destruction, a second-degree felony.

On Monday, officers from the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department were called to 145 E. Center in Ivins by an employee from the Ivins Irrigation Company. Officers were told that the company had been in an ongoing dispute with Oliver-Dean since last summer over water rights, according to a police booking affidavit.

When the employee went on Monday to cap the water line leading to Oilver-Dean’s property, “he found a possible explosive device,” the affidavit states.”It appeared that someone had placed a device against a water (spigot) to scare or prevent anyone from touching near or around the (spigot).”

A bomb squad from Washington County was called to the scene and disassembled the device.

When Oliver-Dean was questioned by police, he claimed he placed the device in the ground in “obvious” sight as a “scare tactic,” the affidavit alleges. “Carlos Oliver-Dean was aware that the item configuration could appear to be a bomb and that if someone saw it, they would not continue digging.”

At the end of the interview, Oliver-Dean was placed in handcuffs and arrested.