SWEETWATER COUNTY — A motion filed by Allen Meredith to modify his bond conditions was denied Friday morning in the Third District Court of Judge Suzannah Robinson.

Meredith’s attorney Blaine Burgess said they wanted to remove the conditions of the bond that state that Meredith cannot bear a firearm, cannot be in contact with certain witnesses, and cannot travel freely without notifying the court. Burgess argued that there is not enough evidence to support Meredith being denied his Constitutional right to bear arms.

In May 2023, Meredith pleaded not guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit theft, one felony charge of theft, one felony charge of crimes against computer users, and one felony charge of crimes against intellectual property. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. These alleged crimes are related to the theft of thousands of dollars of oilfield equipment from Cannon Oil and Gas, where Meredith worked for several years before starting his own business, Mountain West Energy Services. Cannon Oil and Gas alleges that Meredith stole equipment from their business to start his own business. He was arrested in April 2023, is out on bond, and is currently awaiting trial.

Alleged Threats

During the motion hearing Friday, prosecuting attorney Hillary McKinney argued against Meredith’s motion by presenting information to the court about alleged threats that were said to have been made by Meredith and his brother, Robert, against witnesses in the ongoing case. Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office Detective Matt Wharton said that at the beginning of his investigation of this case, he was told by a witness that an alleged “hit” was put out by Meredith to have the witness beat up.

Wharton said that the witness reported directly to Wharton that his significant other told him Meredith had allegedly offered $10,000 to anyone who would beat the witness up. Wharton said the witness’s significant other had heard this from the wife of an employee that was working for Meredith.

“It was a couple years ago, what I exactly recall is that [the witness] told me that a wife of one of the employees that stayed with Mountain West Energy Services relayed to his significant other that Allen Meredith was putting hits out on him … and he would pay anyone $10,000 to beat their ass,” Wharton said.

There was no formal documentation of this alleged threat made by Meredith. However, Wharton said he called Meredith that afternoon to ask if Meredith had made such a threat, “basically letting him know I knew about it”. Meredith told Wharton he had not, and Wharton reported that back to the witness.

“I told [the witness] that Allen had indicated to me that he did not tell anybody to do that and I informed him that if he was to see anything suspicious to contact 911 and not me directly because I’m not always at work,” Wharton said.

Burgess questioned why the conversation was not documented, and said that hearsay cannot be used as evidence. Wharton told the defense that the conversation with Meredith was not recorded because Wharton made the call outside of his house at the end of his workday, and he did not have his recorder. He said he wanted to deal with the issue right then to ensure nothing happened to the witness.

Additionally, Wharton said that Meredith’s brother reached out to another witness on Facebook, calling him a “snake” and that “he better watch his back.” Wharton said he saw the messages, however, the defense noted that there is nothing linking Meredith to these threats and that he has said he did not direct his brother to make them.

“I’m trying to establish that Detective Wharton didn’t even believe there was probable cause to submit these charges relating to alleged threat, and therefore at the same time should not be used as evidence in this court as a basis to continue to deny Mr. Meredith’s constitutional right to bear firearms,” Burgess said.

Motion Denied

However, McKinney argued that this motion isn’t just about gun rights, but Meredith is also asking for contact with the very witnesses discussed in court, and for unrestricted travel.

“While this isn’t a trial, and this isn’t proof beyond a reasonable doubt, I’m not going to try to convince the court that it is, what we have are safety concerns that are directly tied to the defendant,” McKinney said. “The fact that the defendant wants guns, contact, and unrestricted travel is concerning when you have people who have gone to law enforcement of their own volition to ask to be protected from this person, and now he wants to have contact with them. Throughout the entirely of this case, they have not wanted contact with him, to the best of my knowledge that has not changed.”

Judge Robinson denied the motion, stating that counsel has presented a witness who has testified consistent with the prosecution’s previous statements on bond conditions. She also noted that she has never had an evidentiary hearing about bond conditions before, and that presenting evidence is not necessary at a bond hearing.

“However, it was presented. I have heard it, and typically bond conditions are entirely relied upon by statements of counsel, and I think that’s sufficient. This has gone beyond that, there’s been a whole lot of discussion about evidence that hasn’t been presented. I don’t think that’s necessary … counsel has presented a witness who’s testified consistent with what her statements were made previously. I don’t think this needs to be addressed again,” Judge Robinson said. “The motion is denied.”