A Midvale man accused of threatening to kill or injure people at several locations in Salt Lake County — including President Donald Trump during his visit last month to Utah — was ordered detained Thursday pending trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner found at the conclusion of a hearing that Travis Luke Dominguez, who pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges against him, poses a danger to the community and a risk of not appearing at future court hearings.
Defense attorney Benjamin McMurray had requested that Dominguez be released on the condition that he wear a GPS monitor and that his access to the internet and his phone be restricted.
“There is no allegation of actual violence before the court,” McMurray said.
He also said Dominguez might have undiagnosed mental health issues and could have suffered a traumatic brain injury. His client was hit in the face with a baseball bat when he was 7 and fell off a ladder and hit his head in 2016, according to McMurray.
Warner said it was “pure speculation” that Dominguez has a brain injury and said the defendant would be an unmanageable risk to the community if released. The judge called the nature of the charges “troubling” and said he also was concerned because of the 33-year-old’s criminal history.
A federal jury indicted Dominguez on Wednesday on five counts of maliciously conveying false information via the internet; two counts of making a threat to take the life of the president; and four counts of making a threat to injure someone. Each count carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years.
On Dec. 4, when Trump visited Salt Lake City to announce his decision to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National monuments, Dominguez allegedly told law enforcement he had decided to kill the president and then die from “suicide by cop.”
He also is accused of telling authorities later that day, “I’m going to kill the sexist racist homophobic President Trump today. Nothing you can do to save President Trump nor stop me pigs.”
In addition, Dominguez said on Dec. 4 that he would injure police officers who tried to stop him from killing Trump, according to the indictment.
The indictment also alleges that Dominguez used the Unified Police Department web tip line in November and December to give false information about alleged attempts to kill, injure and intimidate people at a South Jordan movie theater, a South Jordan bank and a Midvale business.
Dominguez was arrested by South Jordan police on Dec. 31 near the South Jordan Megaplex Theater, which he allegedly had threatened to bomb. McMurray said that Dominguez was in the area to pick up his wife, who works across the street from the theater.
Court records show Dominguez was convicted in 2013 in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court of stealing a cellphone and using it multiple times to report false emergencies to 911. He was on probation for that crime when he was arrested in 2004 for double-swiping customers’ credit cards at the Midvale Taco Bell where he worked.
Dominguez would charge customers he found annoying an extra $20 to $50 for their food, according to court records. A judge sentenced Dominguez to probation and six months in jail in that case and ordered he undergo a psychological evaluation.
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