By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The suspect accused of attempting to burn down a local church appeared in the Moapa Valley Justice Court on Wednesday, August 28 in Overton.
Tyler Frazier, 41, appeared in custody before Justice of the Peace Gregor Mills to answer charges of 4th Degree Arson with Hate Crime Enhancement, Attempt to Commit an Act of Terrorism, and Manufacturing or Possession of an Explosive Incendiary Device.
The defendant waived his right to a preliminary hearing before the Justice Court and the matter was bound over to the District Court in Las Vegas to be heard on Wednesday, September 11. Bail was set at $250,000.
According to the police arrest report filed on the incident, Frazier admitted to committing the offenses which took place at approximately 1:00 am on August 16. This confession was made after he had been apprehended as a person of interest in attempting to set fire to the Logandale Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on St. Joseph Street in Logandale.
According to the report, Frazier told police that his mother had committed suicide about a year and a half ago and that he blames the Church for her passing.
Frazier further stated that he “feels the LDS Church monopolizes on communities to include public schools, breaking people down. He finds it has been very impactful and insulting to him,” the report said.
The report also stated that Frazier had admitted that he held no animosity towards individual members of the Church, but rather to the institution of the Church itself.
Frazier reportedly said that he had some past family ties to the Moapa Valley community. He had purchased some property here and had then moved to the community several weeks ago due to receiving a job offer at a local auto shop.
But the stake center, and its proximity to the local high school, had chafed Frazier ever since moving here, the report stated.
The report said that Frazier had admitted that “he has had thoughts of ‘vandalism’ for the past couple of years.”
With all of this in mind, Frazier drove to the Stake Center building late in the evening of August 15, equipped with a five gallon fuel can about 2/3 full of diesel fuel, and a length of heavy electrical wire which he called “trailer wire.”
Arriving at the Church, he tied the wire to the handle of the fuel container and then realized he had not brought a lighter with him. He reportedly returned back to his property to get a standard plastic fireplace lighter.
Upon his return, he tied the lighter to the male end of the wire and lobbed it to the roof. The intent was to hoist the fuel can to the roof where Frazier intended to ignite the fire, the report stated.
Frazier said that he had tried to gain access to the roof by climbing a tree. But he was unable to get atop the structure.
Finally, he reportedly abandoned his plan. “Ultimately, he felt that he didn’t ‘need a notch’ on his belt, meaning he didn’t want to see the fire,” the report stated.
After sleeping for a time in his car in the Church parking lot, Frazier awoke before daylight and left the scene, leaving the fuel can and other items behind.
Police were first alerted to the incident on Sunday, August 18 when a Church member noticed the fuel can perched on a half-wall near the west entrance of the building, with the wire still extending to the rooftop. All of the evidence at the scene was documented and sent to a crime lab for analysis.
In the following days, police made inquiries at local hardware stores hoping to find where the fuel can had been purchased. An employer at Overton Ace Hardware reported that a man had been in the store on Saturday August 17, and purchased a fuel can similar to the one left at the Church. It was thought that this purchase may have been to replace the one that was left at the scene, the report stated.
Police viewed the store’s security camera footage and were able to develop a person of interest in the case.
On Wednesday, August 21, police observed Frazier driving in downtown Overton and observed behavior that appeared he was avoiding notice of the police.
Police then made initial contact with Frazier and found that he was driving on a revoked Utah driver’s license. Frazier was then arrested for driving on the revoked license and transported to Clark County Detention Center.
While in the jail’s booking area, police took the opportunity to speak with Frazier and inquired if he would be willing to talk to them. He agreed to do so.
As a result of that conversation, Frazier made a full confession to the attempted arson incident, according to the report.
