By Clair McFarland, State Courts And Crime Reporter
Clair@CowboyStateDaily.com
Authorities have dropped their charges against an Encampment man who was accused of going “off his rocker” and bulldozing vehicles and trailers into a wreckage heap.
Brian Conrad Anderson, who was born in 1974, originally faced a felony property destruction charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines for allegedly using a Caterpillar D8 dozer to pile up trailers, vehicles and other equipment.
But on March 15 a Rawlins Circuit Court judge ordered the case to be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning that prosecutors can refile charges if they find more evidence.
The victims became “uncooperative,” says the judge’s order, and would not verify who owned which destroyed pieces of equipment and how much everything was worth.
According to a March 6 affidavit by Carbon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Casey Lehr, he responded to the property destruction call in Encampment the day before.
Brad Anderson called police saying that two nights earlier, March 3, his brother Brian Anderson used the dozer to pile up the equipment.
Brian Anderson had been having some issues and was “off his rocker,” his brother said, according to the affidavit.
Go See The Carnage
Brad Anderson asked deputy Lehr if he wanted to “go see the carnage,” the affidavit says.
Lehr did want to, he wrote.
“The carnage” was a big pile of trailers, vehicles and other items, along with more damage to other equipment in the lot.
Lehr found trailers on top of a Jeep, a smashed Ford pickup, a smashed older Chevy pickup and trailers “all piled together,” he wrote, estimating that there was “probably over $100,000 in damage.”
Talk To My Dad
Brad Anderson then asked Lehr if the deputy wanted to speak to their father, John Anderson.
The deputy said he would, because there was a “supposed assault” that had happened between Brian and John Anderson, the affidavit relates.
John Anderson told Lehr he did not want any charges filed against his son “as far as the assault part,” but he was curious to know “what it looked like at the lot.”
Lehr said there was a lot of damage to all the vehicles, enough to arrest Brian Anderson for felony property destruction.
Felony property destruction in Wyoming is only chargeable if there is more than $1,000 in damaged property.
The father said Brian Anderson had been acting strange lately and asked the deputy to be careful since the suspect was known “to have violent tendencies and weapons,” the affidavit says.
Another deputy asked what sort of weapons Brian Anderson had, and John said his favorite was his AR-15.
Decided To Pile Everything Up
Lehr and another deputy went to Brian Anderson’s Encampment address.
Lehr knocked at the door three times, the affidavit says.
“Come in,” said a voice, according to Lehr.
The deputies found Brian Anderson upstairs getting dressed. They asked what had happened.
Anderson said that “a couple nights ago” he and his dad John got into an argument, after which he decided to pile up everything at the lot, the affidavit says.
Lehr told Brian Anderson that there was enough damage to arrest him for felony property destruction.
Anderson grew “agitated,” Lehr wrote, but then calmed down. He found his phone and wallet and let deputies escort him into Lehr’s patrol vehicle, the affidavit says.
Because Anderson went peacefully, Lehr fixed a belly chain around him and handcuffed his hands in front of him due in part to harsh road conditions on the way to the Carbon County jail.
Anderson was booked into the Carbon County jail but has since been released.
