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BLUEBELL, Duchesne County — A man who allegedly threatened a law enforcer and his wife at their home now faces serious criminal charges.
William Troy Richins, 46, of Vernal, was charged Monday in 8th District Court with two counts of attempted murder, a first-degree felony; possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a class A misdemeanor; and trespassing, a class B misdemeanor.
On Saturday, at about 5:20 p.m., Richins went to the home of an Adult Probation and Parole agent. As he drove by, he spotted the agent's wife, "stopped his vehicle, leaving skid marks and started screaming at the agent's wife (and) proceeded to follow her to the house," according to a police booking affidavit.
Richins was told to leave several times, but he refused and continued to threaten the agent and his wife with a bat.
"He kept raising the bat as if he was preparing to swing it at the couple," the affidavit states.
Several times, he did swing the bat but did not hit the couple.
"During the incident, William had told the agent and his wife that he was going to kill them," according to the affidavit.
Richins left after being pepper-sprayed by the agent. He was located by a Duchesne County sheriff's deputy about five miles away from the house and was arrested.
According to police, Richins has made allegations against the agent in the past. He "had accused the agent of different things, like having drones follow him or posting pictures of him on the internet, for a few years," the affidavit states.
In 2017, Richins was convicted of drug possession, according to court records. He was placed on probation but later violated the terms of his probation. During proceedings for his violation in 2018, Richins was determined not to be competent for court and was sent to the Utah State Hospital for treatment, court records state. He was later restored to competency and again placed on probation. A 2020 report noted that Richins has a "diminished mental capacity."
