By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – A Graham County man was taken into custody Monday afternoon after a brief standoff with law enforcement that ended with the suspect scuffling with officers and being struck with a TASER. The standoff occurred after the man allegedly assaulted his mother with a fire poker.
Jefferey Carpenter, 36, was subsequently arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of resisting arrest.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies were initially dispatched at about 1:14 p.m. to a residence in Thunderbird Mobile Estates south of Safford regarding an assault.
Upon arrival, a deputy located the victim, a female with scratches on the backs of her hands and above her right eye. However, the more severe injury was a laceration on the inside of her left thigh that she said was caused by her son, Carpenter. The victim said they were arguing when Carpenter began to physically assault her by grabbing her by her head and neck and pulling her to the floor. From there, Carpenter allegedly got on top of the victim, who began grabbing items to fight back. One such item was a fire poker, which Carpenter reportedly took from the victim and then struck her left thigh with it, causing the laceration.
After the attack, Carpenter left the scene. An attempt to locate (ATL) was issued, but Carpenter was not found then.
Paramedics from Lifeline Ambulance treated the victim at the scene, and she was advised to call authorities if Carpenter returned. At about 3:35, the victim called officers back to the home.
The victim was located outside in her car and said Carpenter was locked inside the residence.
After initially being unable to convince Carpenter to leave the residence, more officers were called and made a perimeter around the home. Following more negotiations, Carpenter exited the residence and sat on the front steps, sewing leather thread to make moccasins.
According to multiple Sheriff’s Office reports, Carpenter refused to put down the needle until a deputy advised he couldn’t document Carpenter’s wounds by taking a photograph of them until he did so. When Carpenter put down the needle, multiple deputies attempted to grab Carpenter, who tried to lean away. At that time, a Safford officer who had also responded to the scene discharged his TASER into Carpenter, and other deputies assisted in securing the suspect’s legs. After being taken into custody, Carpenter was treated at the scene by paramedics from Lifeline Ambulance.
Carpenter allegedly denied striking his mother with the fire poker and claimed he was the actual victim of an assault by her. He was then transported to jail and booked on his assault charges.
