1 arrested after alleged dumbbell assault at Desert Palms; update on injured man

ST. GEORGE – One man was taken to the hospital and another arrested following an alleged assault involving a dumbbell.

St. George Police were called to Desert Palms Health & Fitness Club in St. George on Oct. 14 where Jacob Dockstader, of St. George, allegedly hit another man with a 5-pound dumbbell, according to a probable cause statement filed by St. George Police Officer S. Carter in connection with the arrest.

When Carter arrived on the scene, he found a man lying unconscious on the floor “with blood on his face and head,” according to the statement. He also saw blood on the floor near the unconscious man. Witnesses said Dockstader hit the man with the dumbbell after the two had an exchange of words.

Carter talked to Dockstader outside of the gym. According to the statement, Dockstader told the officer the other man had started the confrontation by calling him a name and then he allegedly threw a dumbbell he had been curling at Dockstader, striking him in the foot.

According to the report, Dockstader said he “snapped” and hit the other man in the head with a dumbbell he had been using.

Dockstader said he knew he should have “walked away” and that he had made a “bad decision,” Carter’s report stated.

Carter was unable to speak to the other man at the scene because he was still unconscious. He did observe a severe cut to one of the man’s ears, according to the statement, before the man was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center.

Dockstader was arrested and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility following the incident on charges of second-degree felony aggravated assault, according to court records. He has since bailed out of jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 4.

The man injured in the alleged assault underwent emergency surgery to address injuries to his head, according to information posted on his personal Facebook page. He was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, a week after the alleged assault occurred.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Twitter: @MoriKessler

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15 Comments

  • BCOOL October 25, 2014 at 10:13 pm

    All I have to say is it’s a shame a VERY good, young guy had to take the fall doing what a lot of people had wanted to do. Sometimes jerks need their mouth shut. Its unfortunate the man was injured so badly but when you treat others so bad for so long you WILL cross the wrong line with the wrong person.

    • Britt October 26, 2014 at 8:27 am

      Thanks for sharing this!

    • WarriorSpirit October 31, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      I agree with you, I am currently having a problem with a man at my gym, if he gets any closer he will need an ambulance (I call it self-defense). I told the manager and basically they told me that if I am uncomfortable working out I can go while nothing is done about the jerk. Of course as a woman I have to accept the harassment or leave! This parasite is messing with the wrong woman!

    • youshouldntassume November 1, 2014 at 11:22 pm

      Interesting… one side of the story.. the perps! Who by the way was arrested last year for felony possession of marijuana. Yeah real stand up young man. Oh and the victim… never been arrested… dedicates his life to helping children… and oh were you there? No you weren’t. My husband knows them both and the perp is a tool. He is not “friends” with either of them. Just has had interactions with them both at the gym. So have I. So as a 3rd party… you couldn’t be farther from the truth.

  • ladybugavenger October 25, 2014 at 10:13 pm

    Interesting bunch of dumbells

  • PROTECT THE SHEEP October 25, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    roid rage?

    • Dumbell October 26, 2014 at 5:59 am

      A guy on steroids probably isn’t lifting with 5 pound weights.

  • Koolaid October 26, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Did the fight originate over a pet (dog) or livestock (horse) or property (woman)?

    • tc rider October 26, 2014 at 9:01 am

      whats this woman as property deal about anyways? I ran into to this old nutjob, and he was telling me I cannot talk to his wife, because she is his personal property, so I intentionally make it a point to speak to her and always ask her if she needs any help, or if I can be of any assistance.

  • Bobber2 October 26, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Meatheads!

  • Ken Carlton October 26, 2014 at 7:41 am

    Counting all the dumbbells involved…..three….never insult a dumbbell who is holding a dumbbell. Thank you Officer S Carter….for providing that “Thin Blue Line”.

  • Zonkerb October 26, 2014 at 7:49 am

    Idiots the both of them

    • billye October 26, 2014 at 3:03 pm

      that man did not start the fight the man who hit the man has been bugging that man all the time i know the victom

      • Stan November 8, 2014 at 5:26 am

        Billye. What was the nature of the past interactions of the two people involved?

  • concerned October 26, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Why are we only hearing about this 10 days later… slow news day?

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