Photo: Jacob John Gardner
A Gamaliel man arrested on misdemeanor alcohol charges finds himself facing steeper legal issues, after he attacked a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy early Sunday morning in the Baxter County Detention Center.
Twenty-nine-year old Jacob John Gardner faces a Class D felony charge of second-degree battery on a law enforcement officer, after he punched a deputy after a trio of officers forcibly removed his cellphone from a holding cell.
The incident began when Gardner was brought to the detention center by a Mountain Home Police Department (MHPD) officer. Gardner allegedly attempted to pull away from the officer on several occasions on his way into the jail and had to be restrained until being placed in a holding cell.
Deputies noticed Gardner had possession of his cellphone in the holding cell, when he began calling people from within the pod, according to the incident report. The deputy, a jailer and a Gassville officer entered the cell and asked Gardner to hand over the phone, but he refused. Gardner allegedly began fighting with the officers, who took him to the ground and took possession of the cellphone.
As the lawmen were leaving the cell, Gardner allegedly started walking towards the officers, refusing numerous commands to back away. He then struck the deputy with a punch in the eye, before officers restrained the man.
Gardner’s unruly behavior began earlier in the evening, when he was in a private taxi cab, after leaving a local bar and began to “talk smack” to three male passengers in the back seat. When Gardner was dropped off at a local motel, witnesses say he began trying to punch the men in the back seat and was spitting at them.
The men exited the vehicle and restrained Gardner, according to a report from the MHPD. Sgt. Cy Claypool found Gardner to be heavily intoxicated, as evidenced by his mannerisms and unsteadiness on his feet. Gardner continued to “antagonize the situation” before being placed in the police cruiser. During that time, he allegedly tried to pull away from the officer multiple times.
After being placed in the vehicle, Gardner allegedly began ramming his head into the front cage multiple times. For his actions earlier in the evening, Gardner faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, refusal to submit to arrest, obstructing governmental operations and public intoxication.
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