Jeffrey Hack, angry that his mother wasn't invited to his sister's destination wedding, enlisted a former Marine Corps buddy with shaky mental health to drive from Las Vegas to Moab, Utah, and cause mischief. Hack supplied the wedding invitation, family details, $400 for gas and supplies, and even redirected the friend when he got lost. The friend, Sprague, arrived with a bizarre collection of items including a sugar glider, an antique bird cage, glitter bombs, nunchucks, a slingshot, and mixed Tannerite.
The disruption fizzled. Sprague was turned away by the wedding planner after claiming he had a bomb, and he was arrested later that night. The bride was delayed about 30 minutes and learned of the threat only after the ceremony. Hack was convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, but the trial court later arrested the judgment, ruling there was insufficient evidence that Hack intended Sprague to unlawfully tamper with property or detonate an explosive.
The civil dispute continues. The sister sued Hack, and he counterclaimed for defamation over her statements that he was behind "terroristic attacks" on her wedding and sent a man with "Molotov cocktails, explosives and weapons." The federal court opinion, which references the earlier state court decision, is the basis for this report.