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WEST JORDAN — A West Jordan man was charged Wednesday with threatening to kill a judge just so he could be sent back to prison.
John Alden Powell, 43, is charged in 3rd District Court with threatening a judge, a third-degree felony.
Powell used a phone at a 7-Eleven, near 1300 West and 7000 South, on Monday to call 911 to report that he "was upset that he was charged and convicted of another crime so he was going to kill the judge in that case," according to charging documents. The court documents do not name the judge.
Police located Powell, who told them that a judge "was mad at him" for calling 911 too many times, so Powell was going to kill the judge so he would be sent back to the Utah State Prison "where he wanted to be," the charges state.
West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt said officers are familiar with Powell, and he does have a history of calling 911 and stating that he wants to go back to jail or prison. But the violence Powell is allegedly threatening in his calls has been escalating in recent months, he said.
In January, Powell was charged with emergency reporting abuse, a class C misdemeanor, after he called police dispatchers multiple times over a two-day period stating that he wanted to go to jail, according to charging documents.
"The suspect made statements about considering jail a vacation, and continues to call for emergency services for this reason. When I spoke with the suspect today, after he called for emergency services four times today, he stated he called because he wanted to go to jail and he's tired," the charges state.
In December, he was charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct for throwing computers while at the emergency room of a local hospital. And in August he was again charged with emergency reporting abuse, according to court documents. His next hearings in those cases is scheduled for April 11.
Powell was convicted of emergency reporting abuse in 2012, and determined to be guilty and mentally ill in another case that same year on charges of criminal mischief and stalking, according to court records. Email: preavy@deseretnews.com Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam
