A man from West Valley City, Utah, is facing multiple charges after allegedly making a series of threatening communications to Salt Lake County officials, including the Salt Lake County Sheriff's office. Ryan Gregory Bracken, 44, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of stalking and one count of interstate communication of threats, following his arrest earlier this year.
According to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, Bracken was initially arrested on April 4, after he reportedly left a voicemail at the Salt Lake County Recorder's Office on April 1. In the message, he claimed the Recorder and an employee were guilty of treason, and noted that the penalty for such an offense is death. This was one of several calls made by Bracken, which, as alleged, escalated to become verbally abusive and threatening.
On April 2, Bracken is said to have contacted the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, threatening to "open fire" on anyone attempting to evict him from his property due to a "fraudulent Sheriff's sale." He reportedly specified owning a 7.62-millimeter firearm. In another call the same day, he threatened the Sheriff with death by hanging if the sale proceeded.
Investigations, aided by insights from Information Technology specialists with the Salt Lake County government, indicate that in April alone, Bracken repeatedly called various county offices, including the Assessor's Office and the Sheriff's Office, tallying up to 32 calls. His initial court appearance on the superseding indictment is set for August 27, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, with joint investigations conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Further details on the trial will be forthcoming following the initial court appearance.
