Santaquin police respond to adult male assaulting his elderly parents

SANTAQUIN, Utah — Police in Santaquin took a man into custody Friday morning after a report of him violently assaulting his parents.

Santaquin police responded to the area of 607 East and 130 South just after 8 a.m. As officers arrived on scene, an adult male met them inside the residence and told them he was ready to go to jail. 

Assault of an elderly lady

According to police, the adult male had physically assaulted his 69-year-old mother. She told police that her son had hit her on the right side of her jaw, knocking her to the ground. The woman was hit so hard that her glasses fell roughly 10 feet down the hall, according to what she told police.

The adult male then punched his 70-year-old father in the back of the head. His father was sitting on the couch putting his shoes and socks on. The suspect then threatened his father with a red-handled knife. According to police, Higbee told his father that he was going to slit his throat. 

A struggle between father and son

A struggle between the two then followed. The suspect’s father told police he felt like he was fighting for his life. However, the father suffered only a minor cut on his small finger.

During the incident, the adult male had used the knife to stab the kitchen wall, creating damage to the sheet rock. 

According to police, suspect’s two daughters, ages 10 and 8, were inside the residence at the time of the incident. Police also say they were in a place where they could have witnessed the incident. 

According to police, the suspect has already served time in prison from a 2016 domestic violence aggravated assault in Salt Lake City against his ex-wife.

Read more:

• Shining a Light on Domestic Violence: know the signs and what to do
• Strangulation not uncommon in domestic violence assault
• Juvenile taken into custody following family domestic violence call
• Three deaths over the weekend have Utah domestic violence advocates worried

Follow @MarkJonesKSL