Utah County man charged with threatening judge with ‘hanging at high noon’

UTAH COUNTY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A man has been indicted for threatening retaliatory actions against a judge during an unrelated case progressing through the court system in Utah County.

Elijah Nehemiah Madden, 40, was formally charged on Thursday with influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a judge, a third-degree felony. According to the indictment, Madden threatened a judge in Fourth District Court in a motion he filed in court.

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"Motion for Removal of Judge for [the] reason of treason," is what Madden called the motion. The motion included a statement reading, in part, the following:

"If the judge fails to timely move to protect and defend the constitution of the United States and honor your oath of office, you are subject to the capital felony treason, and upon conviction you will be by taken by posse to the nearest busy intersection and hung at high noon."

Madden was representing himself in another case from Nov. of 2023, in which he was charged with possession of a firearm, child endangerment, and possession of a controlled substance, when he made the alleged threat to the judge.

That case was moved to American Fork from Provo. He now awaits his pretrial conference, which is set for Sept. 30.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.