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Investigators with the Utah County Sheriff's Office spent the day at a mink farm in Lehi, trying to figure out what led to a man being stabbed in the neck and where the suspect is.
"Right now, we think this may have been a fight over alcohol," said Sgt. Dennis Harris.
Utah County dispatchers received a call just after midnight that a man was bleeding from his neck. That man, whose identity has not been released yet, was able to make it to a house where someone called for help. He was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Investigators believe Javier Catana Rojas is the man who stabbed him once in the neck with a kitchen knife. After the stabbing, Rojas and another man ran away. Deputies caught the man Rojas ran with and interviewed him for more information.
Deputies say Rojas does not have a car, but may be looking to steal a car, or may be at a bus stop or train station to get away.
"He may be trying to get back to Mexico," said Sgt. Harris.
Rojas and the man police say he stabbed were working at River Jordan mink farm near 10400 West and 9300 North in Lehi. The owner of the mink farm, Scott McLachlan, told us Rojas had only been working there for about a month. McLachlan thinks he was part of a gang and seemed to cause trouble the whole time he was working there.
He also told us the man who was stabbed in the neck had worked there for several years and had never caused a problem.
"He was one of my best workers," said McLachlan.
Deputies say they don't have a lot of information describing Rojas, except that he is in his mid-20's, has a medium build, is balding, has brown eyes, and was last wearing gray shorts and a gray polo shirt.
Lt. Harris also says there's a good possibility Rojas' identification is false.
"He may not be here legally, so we're checking to find out if that's correct or not," he said.
Deputies also say it's not the first time they've visited the farm. "Generally, they sometimes have transient labor out there," Harris said.
The owner admits that, and says so does everyone else. "Every farm in Utah Valley now, the dairies, everybody, has to ... rely on Spanish people working," he said. "Ninety percent of them are the best workers in the world, and the best family people," he added.
McLachlan also told us Rojas lived in West Valley and may be back there, as well.
If you have any information on where Rojas may be or if you think you saw him, call the Utah County Sheriff's Office at (801) 851-4000 or 911.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
