SALT LAKE CITY -- Federal prosecutors have leveled weapons charges against a Price man, accusing him of threatening to kill the president.
William Scott Wheeler, 56, appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday where he was ordered detained.
According to a charging document, Wheeler was arrested outside of Price last month driving a pickup with a blanket over the hood, obscuring the headlights. It led to a Carbon County Sheriff's deputy finding a number of firearms. The deputy also said Wheeler appeared to be drunk and told police he had "drank a pint in 4 or 5 hours."
"When asked why Wheeler had the firearms, he responded 'they need to fix the problem, or I'm going to fix the problem,'" U.S. Secret Service Agent Marina Thomas wrote in an affidavit obtained by FOX 13.
The affidavit said he told a Carbon County Sheriff's deputy he had sent messages to the White House and was expecting the U.S. Secret Service to find him and arrest him. Throughout the arrest, Thomas wrote, Wheeler repeatedly stated "I think I'm going to kill the President" and made statements about "killing the president" as he was booked into jail.
Wheeler was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah with possession of a firearm by a restricted person. He previously had felony convictions for theft, the Secret Service said.
Carbon County Sheriff's deputies said they seized six guns from Wheeler.
