This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BOULDER, Colo. — A deputy was assaulted and seriously injured at the Boulder County Jail early Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office said.

At 5:15 a.m., breakfast was being provided to medium-security inmates.

“As breakfast trays were being distributed, inmate Juan Rafael Romero-Robles, 21, became upset with one of the module deputies when he learned laundry service for the module was not scheduled for today,” the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Romero-Robles later confronted a male deputy about laundry service at the deputy workstation.

“Romero-Robles was told to leave the deputy workstation and to lockdown in his assigned cell, as the issue had already been addressed,” the sheriff’s office said.

The inmate refused to comply. As the deputy tried to escort Romero-Robles away from the workstation, the inmate turned and began assaulting the deputy, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy attempted to put Romero-Robles’ arms behind his back and put him in handcuffs, but Romero-Robles continued to assault the deputy and refused to follow his orders. The two then began fighting on the ground as the deputy continued to try to restrain Romero-Robles.

“Other jail deputies heard the deputy’s radio call for backup, and once additional deputies responded they were collectively able to restrain the inmate and place him into handcuffs. Romero-Robles was removed from the medium security module and placed into a disciplinary module,” the sheriff’s office said.

The deputy was taken to Foothills Hospital. He had head and facial injuries and estimated he had been punched in the head and face at least six times.

The deputy was released from the hospital mid-morning, but will not be able to work again until he is cleared by a physician.

Romero-Robles has been in the jail since Oct. 20. He is being held on charges of violating a protection order and violating bond conditions. The sheriff’s office said he also had a number of failure-to-appear warrants from charges including assault, stalking, drugs, criminal mischief, false imprisonment and a prior violation of bond conditions.

Romero-Robles now faces a new charge of second-degree assault on a peace officer causing serious bodily injury. He was not injured in Sunday’s incident and refused medical treatment.