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SPANISH FORK — A handful of change scattered on the driveway of a Spanish Fork home is all that's left of a struggle between a burglar and a frightened father.
Police say the drama started when a burglar broke into a home near 800 East and 500 North around 11 p.m. Wednesday. He was using a blanket to gather electronics when he walked into a basement bedroom and turned on the light, waking the teenage boy who slept inside.
The teen's father says the intruder then said, "What's up, dude?"
"The family was asleep," said Spanish Fork Police Lt. Corey Slaymaker. "They were awoken by their teenage son, who started screaming because the individual was in the house. It shocked everybody."
The family was asleep. They were awoken by their teenage son who started screaming because the individual was in the house. It shocked everybody.
–Lt. Corey Slaymaker, Spanish Fork Police Department
The teen's parents came running.
"Their immediate reaction was to chase this individual, because he was still inside the home trying to find out what was going on," said Slaymaker.
The homeowner says he had the man, 25-year-old Aaron Shepherd, on the ground as his wife called 911. That's when Shepherd pulled a knife.
The victim says he felt something wet and realized he was bleeding. When his wife tried to help, she was also wounded.
"I know both the mother and father had cuts to their hands from the knife, and the father also had a stab wound to his abdomen," said Slaymaker.
Police arrested Shepherd when they arrived at the home. The husband and wife were treated at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and later released.
The man described Shepherd's knife as small. Shepherd has a long criminal history and was heavily intoxicated when he found a way to get inside the family's home.
"He was inside an unlocked vehicle that was parked out front and had actually hit the garage door opener and went through the garage," said Slaymaker.
Shepherd is being held at the Utah County Jail on $25,000 bail. Investigators in neighboring cities are investigating him as a suspect in similar break-ins that have occurred over the past several weeks.
