Douglas Wilford Pace, 64, was charged in Fourth District Court Tuesday with several felony charges, including threats of terrorism against Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, after allegedly making increasingly aggressive calls to their office.
According to a Utah County Sheriff’s report, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper contacted Pace on Friday, after receiving a complaint the day before. Pace told the trooper he calls the governor’s office 20 times a day to remind Cox of “who he is.” The trooper said he needed to stop making calls, according to the report.
But later that day, Pace allegedly called the Utah Senate’s main office, according to documents, and asked to speak with Senate President Stuart Adams. When a legislative aide told Pace that Adams was unavailable, the man started yelling.
According to the report, as the aide recalled, Pace said, “Once I get my hands on a weapon, I will shoot Gov. Cox, Deidre Henderson and Stuart Adams in the head. They need to be erased from the Earth, because Jesus is coming.”
Pace also said, “I am not afraid to stand on the porch of Deidre Henderson’s house and shoot her,” adding that Cox “needs to be done away with,” “he’ll finally keep his mouth shut when I’m done with him,” and “I’ll send him to hell.”
As Tuesday’s official charging documents show, Pace made a “number of threats” against many others, including officials for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When the trooper called him again, Pace said he was at his Elk Ridge home with a shotgun and two muzzleloader weapons. Officers then took Pace into custody from his residence.
These charges are not the first filed against Pace. In 2018, he was charged with threats of terrorism, but the case never resulted in a traditional conviction. Instead, in 2022, he took a plea in abeyance, which dismissed some of his charges.
As of Tuesday, Pace has been issued a cease-and-desist notice, barring him from calling Henderson’s office. Between last Monday and Friday, Pace had called the governor’s office 50 times.
A mental health screening has been requested for Pace.
The case will be presided over by Judge Tony Graf.