LOGAN — An inmate at the Cache County Jail escaped by climbing two perimeter fences on Sunday.
It was during some outdoor recreation time just after 11 a.m. that Cecil Vijil Jr., 37, scaled the two fences and was able to get away from corrections deputies outside the jail area. Cache County Sheriff’s Lt. Doyle Peck said the man ran into some fields next to the jail.
Deputies with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Logan police, surrounded the field and kept Vijil in sight. Vijil reportedly took off his outer clothing to try to evade police and tried hiding behind a board he found in the field.
Vijil returned to custody after about an hour of communication and persuasion from officers to turn himself in. Peck said Vijil surrendered peacefully.
The rural location helped officers keep Vijil from causing any danger for residents.
Federal court records indicate that Vijil was arrested in May 2020 after a four-day manhunt after he allegedly shot at law enforcement. According to police, Vijil hid behind his home and fired multiple rounds from an AR-style rifle at an FBI agent and San Juan police officer when they responded to a reported incident at Vijil’s home near Aneth in San Juan County.
No one was injured in the incident and Vijil was arrested days later while walking along a road on tribal land near Cortez, Colorado.
Vijil is facing federal charges in Utah’s U.S. District Court of assault on a federal officer and discharging a weapon during a crime. He was being detained in jail waiting for a jury trial to be scheduled after a trial set for January was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.