The man accused of threatening to kill Sen. Orrin Hatch may have finally won the attention he has been seeking for seven years.
Conrad Lloyd, 41, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one federal charge of threatening a United States official during an arraignment in U.S. District Court.He is charged with threatening to kill Hatch during a Nov. 4 telephone conversation with one of Hatch's aides.
U.S. Magistrate Ronald Boyce ordered a psychiatric and medical evaluation of Lloyd before deciding whether he should be released from jail pending his trial. Lloyd has been incarcerated in the Salt Lake County Jail since Friday.
Following the arraignment, reporters gathered around Lloyd's friends and family, listening to stories of a man enraged and frustrated by his inability to see his two children.
From the stories, two pictures of Lloyd emerge: a man who has resisted paying child support and federal taxes and a man who desperately wants to see his children.
Lloyd has been unable to see his son, 13, and his daughter, 8, for at least four years, said Anne Robinson, a friend who has lobbied with Lloyd for new laws protecting parents' rights.
Lloyd and his wife were divorced seven years ago, said Loren Lloyd, Conrad Lloyd's uncle. In the early years, Conrad Lloyd resisted paying taxes and child support, his uncle said.
Conrad Lloyd also violated early visitation privileges. "He tried to bend the rules on his visitation. He wanted to go pray with his children in the morning before he went to work," Loren Lloyd said.
But in recent years, Conrad Lloyd has faithfully paid child support and searched frantically for his children. "He has been paying regular, full child support every month. He has paid religiously," said Robinson. The child support has been paid to the state, which in turn forwarded the money to Lloyd's ex-wife.
Conrad Lloyd's former wife has moved the children out of state and their father can't find them, Loren Lloyd said.
An angry Conrad Lloyd has contacted local media and public officials repeatedly in recent years, demanding help in finding his children.
Lloyd has spoken often at public hearings on divorce issues.
"He's been going to the state Legislature for years, lobbying for a law that gives fathers visitation," Loren Lloyd said.
The family believes Conrad Lloyd was in touch with Hatch aides in an attempt to find his children, Loren Lloyd said.
Conrad Lloyd has become obsessed with his children, said Scott Jenkins, Conrad Lloyd's supervisor at North West Transport Services. Conrad Lloyd has worked 22 years for the company.
Conrad Lloyd's obsession with his children "has caused a few problems," Jenkins said. "It may affect his attitude to the point where he makes a mistake or loses his temper. But he's a good worker."
Conrad Lloyd's former wife obtained a restraining order prohibiting him from seeing the children after he tracked the family to Oklahoma several years ago and went to the children's school, Robinson said.
"The restraining order says he can't contact them in any way," Jenkins said.
If convicted, Conrad Lloyd faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.