Family hires man to crash Moab wedding after bride uninvites mother, charges say
MOAB, Utah (ABC4) — In August 2023, a man was arrested after allegedly interrupting a wedding ceremony by claiming bombs had been planted.
Now, investigators say that man, Connor Freeman Sprague, was hired by the bride’s estranged family to crash the wedding.
Daniel M. Preston, 38, of Colorado, and Jeffrey Paul Hack, 29, of Arizona, were charged Monday in 7th District Court with two counts of criminal conspiracy, third-degree felonies.
ORIGINAL STORY: Man allegedly walks into Moab wedding, claims bombs were planted
On August 5, 2023, Sprague arrived at the wedding ceremony being held at Whispering Oaks Ranch. He stated “he had been abducted the night before and that an unknown individual planted bombs in the area and on him, showing the reporting party wires that were on his body,” charging documents state.
Sprague was asked to leave and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office was called, but they said they were unable to find him. The next day, however, the wedding planner called deputies and told them Sprague had returned.
Authorities located Sprague about 2.5 miles away from the ranch along Loop Road and detained him.
During a vehicle search, deputies reportedly found cocaine and multiple dangerous weapons, including nunchucks, a bow with arrows, firearm ammunition, and a homemade slingshot. Deputies said they found two containers of mixed Tannerite, a binary explosive, along with a small plastic bottle with a paper sticking out of the top, similar to a Molotov Cocktail.
After Sprague’s arrest, Grand County deputies were contacted by the bride, along with some of her friends and family, who indicated “the possibility of a conspiracy between Sprague” and estranged family members, a search warrant states.
When the bride’s mother was uninvited from the wedding, she reportedly called the bride and told her that if she was not going to be allowed at the wedding she would “crash it” and the bride would “regret not inviting her,” the search warrant states.
When interviewed by police, Sprague said the bride’s brother, Jeffrey Paul Hack, had told him to come to Moab and “crash the wedding.” Sprague reportedly denied being told to use explosives, fireworks, or any other device, and said he believed he was supposed to “get too drunk and cause a scene.”
Sprague also denied any sort of payment but did say he owed Hack money for some time.
An investigator obtained a search warrant, downloaded information from Sprague’s phone, and found that between July and August 2023, Sprague was in communication with Hack and Daniel M. Preston, the bride’s brother-in-law. In November, the investigator interviewed Sprague and learned Hack gave him specific information of people that were going to be at the wedding “in order to talk his way in,” charging documents state.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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