Man arrested in Santaquin for assaulting elderly parents

SANTAQUIN, Utah — A 38-year-old man was arrested in Santaquin Friday morning after police said he assaulted both of his elderly parents.

The incident happened at a home in the area of 600 East and 130 South around 8 a.m.

Police said they were responding to a woman’s report that her adult son was trying to attack her with a knife.

When officers entered the home, they found 38-year-old Andrew Higbee, who stated, “I am ready to go to jail.”

They then found Higbee’s 69-year-old mother lying on the floor between the front room and kitchen, according to court documents.

She told police she was knocked to the floor after her son punched her in the jaw.

“Andrews mother’s glasses were approximately ten feet down the hallway lying on the floor,” read the probable cause statement. “She stated they had flew off of her face when she was punched by Andrew.”

Higbee also punched his 70-year-old father, court documents stated. He was struck in the back of his head while he was sitting on the couch in the front room, putting his shoes and sock on.

While holding a red handled knife that was approximately seven inches long, police said Higbee then told his father he was going to slit the 70-year-old’s throat.

“Andrew’s father stated Andrew made a thrusting motion towards him with the knife,” read the probable cause statement. “Andrew’s father said he was having to fight off Andrew to keep from getting stabbed,” adding that he “felt he was fighting for his life.”

The 70-year-old suffered a small cut on his pinky finger, but police said he didn’t want to seek medical attention.

During the incident, Higbee stabbed the kitchen wall with a knife, damaging the sheet rock. The blinds covering the kitchen doors leading to the backyard were also damaged, according to court documents.

“Inside the residence during the incident, Andrew’s two daughters (ten and eight years old) were present and in a place where they could have heard or saw the incident occurring,” read the probable cause statement.

Higbee was booked into the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for investigation of several charges, including aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, aggravated assault an attempt with force or violence to injure, criminal mischief, and domestic violence, in the presence of a child, with seriously injury or a weapon.

Police said Higbee has been to prison in Utah for a 2016 domestic violence aggravated assault against his ex-wife in Salt Lake City.