Cache man charged with 7 counts

A Cache Valley man who authorities say tried to hire people to murder, sexually assault and witness tamper while he sat in jail has been charged with seven counts of criminal solicitation in 1st District Court.

Frank Steven Archuleta, 37, was in the Cache County Jail awaiting trial on other charges when police were tipped off that he was soliciting for revenge against a witness and the witness' family in that case, according to charging documents.

Documents state Archuleta tried to hire out the crimes sometime around Sept. 1.

Don Linton, deputy Cache County attorney, said Archuleta allegedly planned to pay for the crimes with drugs and stolen property of as-yet-undetermined value.

Archuleta was originally charged in May with some third-degree felony thefts and was out on bail when he beat up a witness against him, charges state.

Linton said Archuleta had wanted the witness to change a statement made to authorities.

Police found him hiding in Idaho, arrested him and brought him back to Utah, Linton said.

He was in the Cache County Jail on charges of theft, retaliation against a witness and witness tampering when he allegedly tried to arrange for crimes to be committed against the state's witness in the previous cases.

The witness in the previous case and the witness who tipped off police are both being protected, Linton said.

Criminal solicitation charges are one degree less serious than the crime to be committed would be.

For soliciting the commission of aggravated murder, which is a capital felony, Archuleta is charged with a first-degree felony. For criminal solicitation of rape, child rape and forcible sodomy, he's charged with second-degree felonies. He is charged with two class A misdemeanors for solicitation to tamper with a witness and retaliate against a witness.

If convicted, Archuleta could spend up to life in prison.

He is scheduled to appear in 1st District Court Oct. 17 before Judge Gordon Low.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com