A Cache Valley man has been criminally charged with making terroristic threats against school board members during a public hearing about a possible tax increase.

Christopher Paul Nielsen, 58, was arrested by a Cache County sheriff’s deputy Aug. 7, a day after he was overheard allegedly saying he was “gonna kill” every member of Cache County School Board if they approved a tax hike.

According to a probable cause affidavit, two attendees at the truth-in-taxation meeting reported to deputies, who were providing security, their concerns about comments they heard Nielsen allegedly make.

Court documents state that one person heard Nielsen say that if a proposed tax increase passed, he was “gonna kill everyone of them.” The other told deputies they heard Nielsen say, “If this passes I will kill them all.”

The court filings state that Nielsen has made previous threats against Cache County officials over unpaid taxes.

Cache County Attorney Dane Murray said he isn’t aware of any criminal history regarding Nielsen but added that other instances of threats are still being investigated and haven’t yet been submitted for prosecution.

The charges

Nielsen was booked into Cache County jail on Aug. 7 and is being held without bail. He appeared in court Monday and has a bail hearing scheduled for Aug. 17.

County prosecutors have charged him with a second-degree felony count of terrorism with the intent to intimidate, coerce or influence government. They also charged him with threats to influence official or political action, a class A misdemeanor.

Ryan Holdaway, the public defender representing Nielsen, said that though he can’t comment on the allegations in the case, he hopes the community will “exercise caution and reservation in passing judgment on another when presented with limited facts.”

What Nielsen said publicly

During the meeting, Nielsen publicly commented on the district’s proposed tax boost. A recording of the meeting posted online shows that he didn’t make any threats during his time at the podium.

“I want to thank our fine sheriff’s deputy here tonight. I want everybody in the room to know that he has an oath of office to serve and protect you — we the people — against this board of tyrants,” he said. “I make two-thirds less right now than what I did in 2022. I sell real estate. This is my 13th year. I’m out doing construction because I cannot sell, and yet you want me to pay more.”

He urged the board members to vote against the tax increase. They ultimately approved it.

What the tax hike will cost

Teri Rhodes, the board’s chair, did not respond to questions about whether she and her colleagues could hear Nielsen’s alleged threats.

Scott Rigby, the district’s business administrator, said the board needed to raise local taxes to receive the maximum amount of state funding available for students.

The state, he explained, requires a minimum tax rate, but because property values have risen over the past several years, the district’s tax rate fell — even though it hasn’t lowered the revenue it received.

Rigby said the change would increase the district’s current property tax revenue of just below $55 million by almost 16%.

The hike translates to $210.77 more a year (about $17 a month) on a $549,000 home.

The additional money, Rigby said, would go toward staffing new schools and buying new buses.

“We appreciate the prompt response and support from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office as they addressed potential threats at our truth-in-taxation hearing,” Sheri Anderson, director of communications for the Cache County School District, wrote in an email. “Cache County School District remains dedicated to maintaining a safe learning and working environment across all of our facilities.”

Note to readers •This reporting position is a partnership with Utah Public Radio, a division of Utah State University.