After being incarcerated last week for allegedly robbing a Santa Fe pharmacy of pain medication, Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputy Brian Vigil tried to strangle himself in jail with an oxygen tube, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department.
Vigil, 36, was being held in the medical unit of the Santa Fe County Jail when the incident occurred the night of May 13, Undersheriff Robert Garcia said. At 8:47 p.m., a guard checked on Vigil and found no signs of a problem; at 9:12 p.m., a guard noticed his bed had been pushed up against the cell door, Garcia said.
The guard noticed Vigil had an oxygen tube wrapped around his neck and was turning purple, Garcia said. The tube was not secured to anything, and Vigil still had a pulse, Garcia said. Santa Fe County Detention Director Annabelle Romero refused to say whether Vigil was breathing, citing a federal privacy law.
“His vitals were good before he was transported to St. Vincent (Hospital),” Garcia said.
Vigil was brought back to the facility later the same night, Romero said.
Vigil was not on oxygen, and did not have access to oxygen tubes in his cell. He must have taken the tube during an exam in the medical unit earlier in the day, Romero said. Romero would not say whether Vigil was on suicide watch, but said inmates who are on suicide watch are watched constantly by a guard who sits with them. At the time of his arrest May 11, hostage negotiators worked with Vigil for two hours while he held a pistol to his head and threatened suicide, according to the Santa Fe Police Department.
Romero said Vigil has had counseling since arriving at the facility.
Vigil was charged with robbery, tampering with evidence and five counts of controlled substance possession at the conclusion of the standoff, when he put down his .40 caliber Glock and turned himself in, according to court documents. He is being held on a $500,000 cash only bond.
The probable cause statement filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court also reveals that one of the pharmacists, who recognized Vigil as a customer, actually retrieved the stolen pills from Vigil’s truck before police arrived, and secured them in a delivery truck. During the robbery, pharmacists gave Vigil hundreds of Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Percodan, Percocet and Endocet pills after he asked for Oxycontin and Lortabs, documents state.
After the robbery, Vigil allegedly asked to use the restroom at nearby Rehab Medicine Association, where he changed out of his pants and left them in the trash can.