The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also issued a nationalAllegations against Mesmarian bear similarities to a Utah case involving a man arrested in 2016 and laterfor using a rifle to damage an electric substation, causing a power outage in rural Kane and Garfield counties.
In Mesmarian's case, Las Vegas police found an iPhone linked to Mesmarian and laptop computers in a burned Toyota Camry registered to his mother, who lives in Idaho. Mesmarian also faces escape charges after police said he tried twice to slip the grasp of arresting officers. He later told police “he wanted to experience the feeling of what Black Lives Matter protesters felt when they were tazed by police." Police did not report using a stun gun on Mesmarian.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court records show he claimed $1.4 million in liabilities, mostly business debts related to equipment leases, but also a student loan debt of about $20,000. He claimed $17,601 in personal assets.