‘This is war’: Colorado man charged with threatening Utah judge

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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who prosecutors say refused to show up to court on drug and weapons charges now faces additional charges for allegedly threatening the judge in the case and police.

In January, Regis Allen Simmons, 31, of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, was charged in 4th District Court with two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, two counts of drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges came after Simmons’ vehicle broke down in Millard County, and as Utah Highway Patrol troopers were assisting, they could smell marijuana coming from inside the car, according to court documents. A search of the vehicle turned up marijuana and a THC product, a rifle and a handgun, the charges state.

Simmons was arrested, posted bail and was ordered to appear in court on Feb. 12. But when Simmons failed to appear, a warrant was issued for his arrest and another hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Simmons’ attorney received a voicemail message from his client stating he would not be appearing in court, and then went on to say “it would be best” if the judge didn't issue a warrant for his arrest “for his health and safety,” the charges state.

Simmons went on to say in the voicemail that everything would be all right if the charges were dropped, and that the judge had “already thrown (him) in the cage once” but “it won’t happen again,” according to charging documents.

The voicemail then got increasingly aggressive when Simmons used expletive terms to describe the judge while stating, “if they want to wage war with me I’m ready for war,” the charges state.

“They come after me, threaten me, take my money ... that’s punishable by death,” Simmons said with the last part emphasized, the charges state. “This is war.”

The message ended with Simmons saying everyone involved with his arrest and prosecution “was going to be all over the news,” according to charging documents.

The voicemail was turned over to law enforcement and on Friday Simmons was charged in a new case with making a terroristic threat, a second-degree felony, and making a threat against a judge, a third-degree felony. An additional warrant was issued for his arrest.

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