Man who held Alpine family hostage sent to prison

PROVO — A man who posed as a census worker and held a couple hostage at gunpoint in their Alpine home was sentenced Wednesday to a prison term of seven years to life.

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

Archuleta was sentenced to five years to life for the aggravated burglary charge and one to 15 years for each of the other three charges. Fourth District Judge Claudia Laycock ordered the kidnapping sentences to run concurrently and the others to run consecutively, essentially meaning a seven-years-to-life sentence.

The punishment came despite Archuleta's plea for a second chance and claims by his attorneys that he never intended to harm his victims.

"All I ask for is an opportunity to be able to help make my wrongs right," Archuleta said.

But Laycock said Archuleta's intentions were obvious and inexcusable.

"No one comes for a chat with a firearm loaded with a bullet in the chamber," she said. "That absolutely belies any claim that you have that this was going to be a peaceable discussion."

Allen Alexander, the president and chief executive officer of Savage Services Corp., previously testified that Archuleta had 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 demanded $100 million and forced Alexander and his wife into their bedroom, telling them he had placed C-4 plastic explosives in their home and at the company's offices.

Alexander said Tuesday that he had tried to persuade Archuleta to take him and leave his wife alone, but Archuleta had told him she was a "loose end" he couldn't leave.

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

Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said police found a crossbow, 15 arrows, flex cuffs, wire cutters, disposable latex gloves, 20 more rounds for his gun, a metal club, rope and duct tape in the backpack Archuleta had with him.

"This was not a momentary loss of sanity; this was a planned event," Buhman said. "Were it not for the grace of God, some luck and great police work, this would probably be a homicide case."