Arrest made after 2 hikers attacked

LARIMER COUNTY - Investigators say they have arrested a man who they believe attacked two female hikers more than a week ago.

A knife-wielding man confronted the two women as they were on the Signal Mountain Trail in Roosevelt National Forest on Sept. 13.

The man jumped onto the trail and grabbed one of the women and held a knife to her throat before the women were able to fight him off with a walking stick. Investigators believe the man was trying to sexually assault the women.

After the attack, the women had to hike 40 minutes to a cabin to call for help.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Thursday it had arrested 38-year-old James Jud Bondsteel of Loveland. He is facing charges of second-degree kidnapping, criminal attempt to commit a sexual assault, first-degree assault and menacing with a deadly weapon.

Investigators arrested Bondsteel at his home just before noon on Thursday. He is being held at the Larimer County Detention Center in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

The women were identified only as a 38-year-old from Eaton and a 46-year-old from Casper, Wyo. The Casper woman was treated for cuts to her hands and shoulder.

The scene of the attack is about three miles east of the Pingree Park campus of Colorado State University near the edge of the Comanche Peak Wilderness Area.

After the attack, investigators put up roadblocks and made an extensive search through the area. They did not find the attacker and the search was called off after about two days.