CLIFTON, CO — A 56-year-old Whitewater man was arrested Thursday evening on felony charges after investigators discovered he had assaulted an at-risk individual and refused to leave a Clifton residence.
On July 16, at approximately 7:30 p.m., deputies with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported assault in the 600 block of Highland Drive in Clifton. The suspect, later identified as Ray Hamlin, 56, had already fled the scene before law enforcement arrived.
During the investigation, deputies learned that Hamlin had been repeatedly asked to leave the Highland Drive property, which culminated in a verbal confrontation that evening. Investigators also discovered that Hamlin had allegedly assaulted the victim days earlier, leaving injuries that were still visible to responding deputies.
Deputies subsequently tracked Hamlin to a separate residence in the 8500 block of Bean Ranch Road in Clifton, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Hamlin was transported to the Mesa County Detention Facility and booked on the following charges:
- Crimes Against At-Risk Persons – Third-Degree Assault (Class 6 Felony)
- False Imprisonment (Misdemeanor 2)
- Harassment – Strike, Shove, Kick (Misdemeanor 1)
- Domestic Violence