Price man pleads guilty in Alpine home invasion

PROVO — A man who posed as a census worker and held a couple hostage in their Alpine home pleaded guilty to several felonies Wednesday.

Tyler Archuleta, 37, of Price, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, two counts of kidnapping and one count of terroristic threats, second-degree felonies.

He was originally charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies, possession of a hoax weapon of mass destruction, a second-degree felony, and forgery, a third-degree felony. Some charges were dropped or changed in exchange for his guilty pleas.

Archuleta's attorney, Marshall Witt, said he plans on having Archuleta's wife, mother and doctor come to the sentencing in hopes of convincing the judge not to impose a prison sentence.

"The defendant is agreeing not to contest a prison (sentence)," said Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman, "but the judge has the right to hear arguments and make her own decision" based in part on the comments from family.

In a preliminary hearing in October, the president and CEO of Savage Services Corp., a Cottonwood Heights material transportation company, testified that Archuleta showed him a fake U.S. Census Bureau ID and then pulled a gun on him when he returned home from work on Sept. 22. Archuleta allegedly demanded $100 million and forced Allen Alexander and his wife into their bedroom, telling them he had placed C-4 plastic explosives on their home and at the company's offices.

Meanwhile, their 15-year-old daughter was quietly calling police and directing them to the home. Officers arrested Archuleta as he tried to make the couple drive him away.

Archuleta's trucking company had past dealings with Savage Services Corp. Witt said those dealings totaled tens of millions of dollars, but he declined to elaborate.

Archuleta will be sentenced on June 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Contributing: Paul Koepp. E-mail: ashaha@desnews.com