Man arrested for attempted burglary in Liberty Park

SALT LAKE CITY – A man was arrested on Wednesday for attempted burglary after throwing rocks at the home of two elderly women.

Salt Lake police said their officers were called to the area of ​​600 E. 900 South after receiving a call from neighbors who reported hearing the sound of breaking glass and a man with a blue bandana on his face seen riding away on a bicycle.

Upon arrival, officers reported seeing the man with his arm in the front window of the home, apparently manipulating the window latch. As the caller exited the home, they told officers the person in question was the burglar, and the man then ran south into Liberty Park.

The affidavit states that officers threw 41-year-old Paul Ryan Hatch to the ground. During the struggle, one of the officers retrieved a large utility knife with the blade extended from Hatch's back pocket before handcuffing him.

“Once he was handcuffed, he continued to attempt to roll and resist until he eventually calmed down and was secured in the back of a patrol car,” the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, after being placed in the officer's patrol vehicle, Hatch claimed he had swallowed “9-16 'blues' or fentanyl pills” and needed to go to the hospital. From then on, Hatch refused to speak to police officers while he was read his Miranda rights.

Hatch was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of attempted burglary of a dwelling and failure to comply with law enforcement orders.

“If released on bail, the (Hatch) could return to the senior citizen's home to do what he planned to do or take revenge on the neighbor who alerted law enforcement to his plot,” it said the affidavit.