RICHFIELD, Utah, Oct. 29, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 36-year-old man was booked into the Sevier County Jail Monday after an incident allegedly involving a threat of mass destruction at a Richfield shopping area.
At about 3 p.m., Richfield police responded to the Richfield Plaza on a keep the peace call involving a person wanting to retrieve some belongings from the recreational vehicle of Scott Christopher Baugh.
“As I approached Scott’s RV that had been abandoned in the parking lot for a few days I noticed several parking stickers that had been placed by previous officers,” says Baugh’s affidavit, filed by an officer of the Richfield PD.
“As I approached the door to the RV I noticed writing over the orange stickers. A I got closer the writing over the stickers stated ‘U TELL ME MOVE BUT IF I DRIVE I GO TO JAIL SO ITS RIGED WITH 3000 PSI OF EXPLOSIVE GAS I WOULDN’T MOVE IT IF I WERE YOU.'”
A lieutenant arrived and “held the scene while I attempted to locate Scott Baugh,” the officer’s statement says. Baugh was found near 300 N. College Ave., Richfield.
“Scott stated there is a 3,000 PSI nitrogen tank under the RV that he placed there. I notified Lieutenant Heywood of this. Scott stated that it is not dangerous but he wanted to keep it out of the sun so it did not explode. Lieutenant Heywood located the nitrogen tank with the hose being fed up towards the floor and a battery with cable attached right next to the tank that were fed up into the RV.
“Scott Baugh came to the location and removed the bottle and the battery from under the RV, making it safe,” the affidavit says.
“I asked Scott why he would write that he rigged an explosive. Scott denied saying he rigged an explosive, but I showed him his writing on the sticker in two locations. It stated ‘I rigged it with explosive gas.’ Also, a piece of wood outside the door stated ‘Danger Explosive Gas.’ Scott stated the wrote that just in case it got towed.”
Baugh’s RV was parked about 50 yards from businesses and a parking lot for shoppers, the statement says.
“The way the battery and the tank were positioned by the entry of the RV it did appear to be a explosive device with wires and the tank next to each other. At that time Scott was placed under arrest and transported to Sevier County Jail and charged with Threat of Terrorism,” a second-degree felony.”
Baugh was ordered held without bail.
