SANTAQUIN, Utah, Oct. 16, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 38-year-old Santaquin man has been booked into the Utah County jail after allegedly assaulting his parents, with whom he lives.
The suspect, who Gephardt Daily will not name due to privacy concerns for his parents, faces charges of:
- Two counts of aggravated assault an attempt with force or violence to injure, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of domestic violence, in the presence of a child, serious injury/weapon, a third degree felony
- Two counts of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, a class A misdemeanor
- Criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor
Santaquin police were dispatched to the scene Friday morning “for a report of complainant’s adult son trying to attack her with a knife,” the suspect’s probable cause statement says.
The suspect met officers at the door. His “elderly mother was lying on the floor between the front room and kitchen. She stated (the suspect) had punched her on the right side of her jaw knocking her to the floor. (The suspect’s) mother’s glasses were approximately 20 feet down the hallway lying on the floor, she stated they had flew off of her face when she was punched.”
The suspect’s “elderly father was sitting on the couch in the front room, putting his shoes and socks on, when (the suspect) punched him in the back of the head,” the probable cause statement says.
The suspect was holding a red-handled knife approximately seven inches long, the statement says, adding he “stated to his father he was going to slit his throat …. (And) made a thrusting motion towards him with the knife.”
The older man told officers he tried to fight off his son, and “felt he was fighting for his life,” the police statement says.
The older man sustained a small cut on one finger, but declined medical attention, the officer’s statement says.
The fight went from the front room to the kitchen, where the suspect reportedly stabbed the knife into a wall and broke window blinds.
The suspect’s daughters, both under age 12, were present and could have heard or seen what was happening, the statement says.
The suspect is being held without bail. He served prison time in 2016 for domestic violence against his ex-wife in Salt Lake County, the Santaquin Police statement says.
