SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man's DNA was found on a gasoline can that was placed under a news vehicle in a failed arson attempt in Salt Lake City, federal prosecutors allege in court documents.
Christopher Solomon Proctor, 45, lit a fuse attached to the 2.5 gallon (9.5 liter) plastic gas container that he had put under a news vehicle owned by the local Fox affiliate, KSTU-TV, that was parked outside of a building on Sept. 12, according to the filings. The fuse went out before the gas ignited.
Proctor has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted arson and possession of an unregistered destructive device. His attorney, Richard Sorenson, didn't respond to emails seeking comment.
During a hearing Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead ordered Proctor, who was arrested Sept. 29, to remain in jail until his trial. Pead said there was evidence that Proctor had planned to repeat the attempt, despite family and friends insisting that Proctor posed no danger to others, according to court documents.
A license plate reader recorded Proctor's vehicle near the scene within minutes of the crime, and investigators found items in Proctor's home similar to those used to carry out the attempted arson, including black boots, a different gas can that also had a hole carved in the top, and a portion of fuse, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Thorpe wrote.
According to prosecutors, Proctor bought more fuse days after the failed attempt and returned to the crime scene a week later. Proctor “had mentioned burning Fox News on previous occasions” to others, and told an acquaintance that he lit a fuse under a “fox news” vehicle but it did not blow up, Thorpe wrote.
“That purchase, the presence of another gas-can at his residence and the deliberate resurveilling of the news station lead to an inference that the defendant may not have been satisfied with his failed attempt,” Thorpe wrote.
The day after the alleged arson attempt, two men were arrested on suspicion of placing a makeshift bomb under the KSTU-TV news vehicle. Investigators searched their home and found two sticks of inactive dynamite that the men claimed were real, according to court documents. They were charged in state court with crimes including possessing hoax explosives. However, the men are not being prosecuted for crimes related to the gas can found under the vehicle.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Tuesday that the charges were based on the information presented to the office and referred questions regarding the news vehicle to federal authorities.
The federal court documents make no mention of the two men.
The incident happened two days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Thorpe said at Monday's hearing that there is no evidence linking the alleged arson attempt to Kirk’s death, KSTU-TV reported.
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The story was updated to correct that the vehicle belongs to the local Fox affiliate, not Fox News.