A 22-year-old North Wilkesboro man is facing attempted murder and burglary charges after deputies say he broke into a Robin Hill Road home and beat a sleeping resident with a sledgehammer before firing a handgun inside the house. Rodney Steelman survived the attack with non-life-threatening injuries, but the attack left extensive damage behind.
According to journalpatriot.com, Wilkes County deputies were notified around 12:05 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, that a break-in had occurred at the residence roughly eleven hours earlier, at about 1:30 that morning. A warrant accuses Jacob Legend Hayes of assaulting Steelman with a sledgehammer after forcing his way into the home, striking him multiple times with the tool, kicking him while he was on the ground, and firing multiple shots inside the residence. Per the Charlotte Observer, the arrest warrant further alleges Hayes entered Steelman's home with intent to kill him.
Wilkes EMS said Steelman suffered non-life-threatening injuries and declined transport to a hospital after responders arrived around 12:15 p.m., the same report notes. Investigators determined that multiple rounds had been fired from a firearm inside the house, according to wxii12.com, which identified the weapon in a warrant as a 9mm handgun. Deputies also found damage to the outside of the home that they attributed to a vehicle, the station reported.
Extensive Damage Documented Inside the Home
The warrant detailed damage to a garage door, the front door and lock, multiple windows and two interior walls, the same report states. The Charlotte Observer's account of the warrant adds that the destruction extended to a motorcycle and a couch inside the residence. Investigators have not released any details about a motive for the attack.
Officials said Hayes lives about two miles from the crime scene, according to the Charlotte Observer, whose report also notes that North Wilkesboro sits roughly an 80-mile drive northwest of uptown Charlotte. Hayes was arrested Thursday evening, the same night the break-in was discovered, per the station's report.
Charges and Custody Status
Hayes faces a lengthy list of charges tied to the incident, including felony attempted first-degree murder, felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury, felony discharge of a weapon into occupied property, felony first-degree burglary and felony malicious assault in a secret manner, according to the Charlotte Observer. He was also charged with misdemeanor injury to real property and misdemeanor injury to personal property, the outlet reported. Wxii12.com's report separately listed charges including first-degree burglary, discharging a firearm into occupied property, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Records show Hayes was deemed a substantial danger to the public and is being held without bond, per the Charlotte Observer. Journalpatriot.com reported that Hayes was ordered held in the Wilkes County Jail without bond until a first appearance in Wilkes District Court on Nov. 6, 2026. A separate report from the same station said Hayes remained in custody without bond and was scheduled to appear in court on November 18, though the relationship between the two court dates has not been clarified in available reporting.
