MESA COUNTY, Colo. — A Palisade man has been arrested on kidnapping and sexual assault charges amid an ongoing investigation.

Around 7:30 p.m. on June 4, deputies with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an "overdue female" of unknown age from an area near the Palisade Rim Trailhead and the Colorado River. It's not clear if the female was an adult or juvenile.

About 45 minutes later, the deputies were dispatched to a possible kidnapping and sexual assault, which was reported by "a female" around Vega Reservoir on the Grand Mesa, the sheriff's office said.

The deputies determined these cases were connected.

They found the suspect's vehicle on Highway 65 and identified the driver as 40-year-old Dustin Peterson, of Palisade. He had an active warrant and was arrested on that charge, the sheriff's office reported.

Investigators continued working overnight.

Peterson is being held at the Mesa County Detention Facility on the following charges:

• Sexual assault
• Second-degree kidnapping
• Menacing with a real or simulated weapon
• Fugitive other jurisdiction warrant

Anybody with information on this case is asked to contact Investigator Jenna Reed at 970-244-3274.

No other details were available as of Monday morning.

According to court documents, Peterson has been previously arrested on charges related to theft in 2017 and robbery in 2014, as well as a temporary restraining order against him from 2013.

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