Sovereign citizen arrested for threating to shoot customers, employees

CARBON COUNTY, Utah — A employee at a Maverik gas station allegedly threatened coworkers by saying he was going to “sit on the back of the hill behind Maverik and shoot.”

Jared John Nielsen, 28, was booked into the Carbon County Jail on Saturday for a second-degree felony charge of the threat of terrorism and a misdemeanor charge of the threat of violence, according to the affidavit.

On the day of the arrest, the manager of the Maverik told police that two of her employees informed her that Nielsen was planning to sit on a hill behind the gas station and shoot customers and coworkers with a rifle.

Police spoke to one of the Maverik employees, who told them the conversation started after Nielsen mentioned he could slide down the hill near Helper Middle School and get to work.

“(Nielsen’s) response was, ‘or I could sit on top of the hill with a rifle and look through the scope seeing who’s working at Maverik today, pop, pop, pop,'” according to the affidavit.

The employee told police that the statement made them uncomfortable and walked away. They began to speak to a construction worker when Nielsen joined the conversation and began talking about bombs.

According to the affidavit, police arrested Nielsen without issue when he arrived to work to speak to his supervisor. After reading him his Miranda rights, Nielsen chose not to answer any questions and asked for a lawyer.

Police attempted to talk to Nielsen’s parents about their son’s alleged threats and to create a safety plan for everyone’s wellbeing. They were unable to speak to his parents at their home but noticed targets outside of the house that had been shot multiple times.

According to the affidavit, police were able to speak to Nielsen’s parents at their home after a second attempt later that night.

Nielsen’s father told police he was adamant about returning his son back home after being released from jail and said he would have full access to the firearms in the home.

“This conversation ended with (Nielsen’s) father stating him and his house were sovereign citizens and the police were not welcome,” according to the affidavit.

Because of the statements made by Nielsen and his father, police are asking the court not to grant Nielsen bail as they believe he poses a threat to the public.

Police also state that Nielsen is known to carry guns publicly and has had other confrontations with law enforcement.