By Vic Vela
Albuquerque Journal
TAOS, NM — A State Police sergeant out of Taos was arrested on a domestic violence charge over the weekend after he was accused of kicking his wife in the stomach, causing her to hit her head when she fell to the concrete.
Adrian Vigil, 56, was charged with aggravated battery on a household member for the alleged assault on his 54-year-old wife that occurred early Sunday, according to Taos Police Chief Rick Anglada.
Vigil is a 15-year State Police veteran and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal matter and an internal affairs investigation, according to State Police spokesman Lt. Eric Garcia.
The alleged assault took place around 2:30 a.m. in the garage of the couple’s Taos home, Anglada said.
Vigil and his wife had just arrived home from attending a wedding reception and started to argue. The argument turned violent when Vigil kicked his wife in the abdomen, causing her to fall and hit her head on the concrete floor, according to the chief.
The woman lost consciousness for an unknown period of time. When she came to, her husband was “allegedly standing over her and refusing to let her get up,” Anglada said.
The wife got up on her own and walked next door to her son’s home, where an ambulance was called.
She was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where she received a single stitch for the wound on her head. She was treated and released that morning, according to Anglada. Vigil was arrested within a few hours, after his wife provided police with a statement
of the incident. He was booked into the Taos County jail, where he posted a $5,000 bond and was released Sunday. Anglada said he does not know whether alcohol was a contributing factor in the incident. The chief expressed disappointment over the situation, saying that Vigil is a lifelong
Taos resident with close ties to the community. “Any domestic violence situation is a sad thing to deal with,” Anglada said. “However, when it’s another officer, especially of the stature of Sgt. Vigil, it’s just that much more sad. It’s sad all the way around. Not only for his wife, but for law enforcement in general.”
Copyright 2010 Albuquerque Journal