Jayson Boebert was jailed Tuesday on charges stemming from back-to-back fights involving his ex-wife, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, and their adult son, including allegations he armed himself with a rifle when he learned their son had called 911 for help.
Court documents related to his arrest tied the charges to events following an altercation with Lauren Boebert in a Silt bar Saturday night and an early morning fight Tuesday with his 18-year-old son, Tyler.
According to Garfield County jail and court records, Jayson Boebert, 43, was released from the county jail Tuesday. His bail was set at $1,500 for the assault charge and $1,000 for the criminal mischief charge. Both are misdemeanors.
A Jan. 9 police report said Jayson Boebert began fighting with his son after Jayson Boebert got home from a bar about 1 a.m. and he saw his infant grandson sleeping in a laundry basket full of clothes. Tyler Boebert told police that his dad, whose speech was slurred, began hitting him in the legs and tried to grab his phone.
After grabbing the phone, Jayson Boebert allegedly threw the device and then shoved his son, while sticking his thumb in his mouth in a way Tyler Boebert felt his father was going to “pull his tooth out,” the report said.
Jayson Boebert then pushed a woman, the manager of a bar in New Castle who had driven him home and was trying to break up the fight, according to the report.
Tyler Boebert told police he called law enforcement after talking to his mother for about a minute.
When his father saw him on the phone with dispatch, Jayson Boebert picked up a rifle, according to the report. Tyler Boebert said there were many firearms in the house and could not describe what type of weapon his father was carrying.
His father then walked outside and Tyler Boebert said he did not see him again, he told police.
Police were concerned about being ambushed, knowing that Jayson Boebert armed himself after learning that law enforcement had been contacted, the report said.
Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jayson Boebert on suspicion of prohibited use of a weapon, harassment and third-degree assault, according to an arrest affidavit.
His other charges stem from the Saturday incident in the Garfield County town of Silt, near where the Boeberts live.
In a different police report, a Silt police officer said Jayson Boebert refused to leave The Miner’s Claim restaurant in Silt after a man called police about 8 p.m. Saturday to report “domestic violence abuse.” In a second 911 call, this one from a woman, a man is heard saying “She punched me in the face.”
Officers arrived to see Lauren Bobert on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. She told police she began arguing with her ex-husband as they started to talk about their new partners and she put her finger on his nose “to end the argument.” Jayson Boebert then called 911 to report domestic violence, she told police.
Lauren Boebert stated her ex-husband told her: “Congratulations, your name is going to be in the headline,” the report said.
Jayson Boebert yelled at the officers and refused to talk with them, but said he was punched in the face at his house and restaurant, the report said. Officers asked him to leave eight times before he was escorted out of the packed restaurant as he continued to yell and curse.
Silt police cleared Lauren Boebert of her ex-husband’s domestic violence allegations, after Jayson Boebert recanted his accusations, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. The restaurant did not have any surveillance video recording at the time and no witnesses came forward to provide a statement about what happened, the AP said.
Lauren Boebert’s campaign released a statement Sunday in which she said she “didn’t punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested.” She added: “I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options.”
Her campaign on Wednesday morning declined to comment on the arrest.
Jayson Boebert told The Denver Post on Sunday morning that, “I don’t want nothing to happen. Her and I were working through a difficult conversation.”
Lauren Boebert, a Republican who has served two terms in the U.S. House representing the 3rd Congressional District on the western side of the state, announced last month that she was switching congressional districts this year to run for the 4th Congressional District, which encompasses the eastern side of Colorado.
“This is a sad situation for all and another reason I’m moving,” Lauren Boebert’s statement on Sunday said.