Watch CBS News

Man arrested after "brutal" hammer attack, standoff with deputies in Mesa County

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office said they arrested a man who attacked someone with a hammer before barricading himself inside a home Friday.

Deputies responded to the Candlewood Trailer Park in Clifton to find the victim had fled to a neighbor's house for help. The victim told deputies that they were brutally attacked with a hammer and an ambulance took them to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Officials said that deputies tried to contact the suspect, 24-year-old Drake Roberts, but he would not answer the door. They reportedly saw and heard Drake barricading himself inside the home.

Authorities said SWAT team members attempted to convince Roberts to exit the residence for several hours, but Drake refused. They used gas in the residence and took Roberts into custody at 9:18 p.m. Roberts was reportedly combative and uncooperative as law enforcement took him into custody.

He was booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility and is facing multiple charges, including:

  • Second-degree assault with a deadly weapon F4
  • Menacing with a real or simulated weapon F5
  • False imprisonment F5
  • First-degree kidnapping F1
  • Sexual assault - penetration/deadly weapon F2
  • Third-degree assault M1
  • Domestic violence

Deputies said they also arrested him on a warrant out of Montrose County for failure to appear in court on Wednesday. That court date was related to his arrest in November 2022 for offenses involving strangulation, felony menacing with a weapon, and misdemeanor harassment.

Roberts pleaded guilty to assault 3 in the case and was sentenced to two years deferred sentence and 48 hours of community service in Oct. 2023. A failure to comply warrant was issued for Roberts in April 2024, the case was re-opened, and his probation was revoked. Roberts reportedly did not appear for his plea hearing in Jan. 2025 and a new warrant was issued with a $5,000 bond. Authorities said Roberts previously paid two bonds in this case totaling $2,000.

He has numerous previous arrests, including:

  • Charges of violation of a protection order, harassment, and reckless driving by Grand Junction Police in June 2024.
  • An arrest in Mesa County in Nov. 2024 on charges of sexual assault, sexual contact - no consent, assault 2, strangulation, assault 3, and harassment. A review hearing is scheduled in March for this case.

He was sentenced in March 2018 to two a two-year deferred sentence and 96 hours of community service for providing alcohol to a minor in Gunnison County and again in July 2023 for careless driving in Montrose County.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.