Gary Lee Jamieson, a 56-year-old Tollgate Canyon man, was charged with multiple felonies stemming from an incident last month in which he was accused of rigging a “contraption” using car batteries and propane tanks to blow up the home he shared with his wife — with her two dogs locked inside.
Summit County Sheriff’s deputies, using instructions from the Park City fire marshal, disconnected a device at the home they said could have caused significant damage. No one was injured and no fire or explosion occurred.
On Monday, 3rd District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Jamieson released from the Summit County Jail into the custody of a family member who lives in Logan. Mrazik ordered Jamieson to immediately leave Summit County upon release and to submit to GPS tracking. Protective orders, including one involving Jamieson’s wife and another person who lived on site, remained in place.
Jamieson has not entered a plea and the charges against him have not been dropped. He was represented in court by a public defender, who said most of the charges were based on the prospect of crimes happening in the future, not ones that had been committed.
The attorney argued against the arson charge, saying no fire had been set. He also disputed a firearms charge and two charges of cruelty to animals.
Mrazik said he did not believe Jamieson to be a flight risk, but said he was still in jail because of allegations that he rigged a structure to blow up after telling neighbors, “It’s going to be like Ruby Ridge around here.”
The attorney acknowledged that comment “causes everyone’s hair to stand up” but said there wasn’t enough evidence to keep Jamieson in jail.
Jamieson is next due in court Dec. 20. The public defender has withdrawn as his legal counsel and is to be replaced by a private attorney.
