Cottonwood Heights couple hides from burglar in closet

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A husband and wife hid in a bedroom closet and dialed 911 while a man burglarized their home early Tuesday.

Minutes later, Cottonwood Heights police officers arrived and arrested 27-year-old Wilfred Vigil for investigation of burglary and intoxication.

About 4:30 a.m., a couple living at the Shadow Ridge Condominium complex, near 7200 South and 1200 East, were awakened by someone breaking the lock on the sliding glass door on the back deck of their second-floor condo, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Mark Askerlund.

The man had "climbed up the balcony and forced the sliding glass door off of its hinges," according to Salt Lake County jail records.

"They got up and found a person in their house," he said. "They then locked themselves in their bedroom and got in their closet. All the while, they were on the phone with police."

At one point, the couple could hear the intruder try to open the bedroom door, Askerlund said. But as he was trying the handle of the locked door, police arrived.

"Officers located the suspect inside," he said.

Vigil, however, did not comply with the commands of officers. He would not show them his hands and then lay on his stomach, so officers could not put his hands behind his back, according to jail records.

Vigil, who also lives in the Shadow Ridge complex, was arrested. Askerlund said the total time he was in the condo with the homeowners was about three minutes.

On Dec. 1, Vigil was charged with robbery and aggravated assault after robbing a cab driver at knifepoint, according to court records. He was convicted of DUI in 2010 and simple assault in 2009, according to Utah state court records.

— Pat Reavy Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam