- A Utah Senate candidate claims a man followed him and his wife and pointed a gun at them.
- The alleged incident happened in April as they drove home from a campaign event.
A man is facing charges after a Utah Senate candidate claimed that someone aimed a firearm at him and his wife when they were driving home earlier this year, according to reports.
CNN reported that a man, identified as Jack Aaron Whelchel, was indicted on misdemeanor charges — to which he pleaded not guilty — in connection to the April 10 confrontation.
The victim, Evan McMullin, recently filed a statement in the District Court for Utah County and alleged that Whelchel "followed and chased us, pulled his truck alongside us and forced my wife and I into the oncoming lane of traffic," according to the report.
The couple was making their way home from a campaign event in southern Utah when the alleged incident happened, per reports.
"He then brandished a firearm, pointing it toward us in a threatening way," the statement said, a claim which Whelchel's attorney denied, per the outlet. However, his attorney did tell CNN that his client did put the weapon on the center console of his car.
In a seperate statement to KUTV, McMullin alleged that Whelchel has a history of "promoting political violence on social media," although he is unclear if that played a role in the dispute.
"Regardless, he put my life and the life of my wife at risk and I am cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities who have charged him with related crimes," McMullin told the local news station.
According to CNN, Whelchel is expected to return to Utah, where he no longer resides, to stand trial.