An El Paso County man faces second-degree assault charges after a text message to 9-1-1 led to his arrest. The incident unfolded on Thursday, when the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Regional Communications Center was alerted to a violent disturbance at a residence on Chia Drive, per the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The victim reported that 44-year-old Thomas Barton attacked him with a hammer and attempted to kill him.
Arriving deputies found the victim unconscious in the driveway, and after regaining consciousness, he was transported for medical evaluation. Attempts to contact Barton, who had retreated inside his home, were initially unsuccessful. The proximity of the disturbance to a local school dismissal time prompted authorities to issue a Peak Alert to residents, instructing them to shelter in place for their safety and the safety of children and school buses in the vicinity.
Negotiators with the Sheriff’s Office eventually made contact with Barton, who surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident. The official statement from the Sheriff's Office notes he was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a $7,000 bond.
