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Highlands Today

Are suspects more violent with cops?

Photo Illustration by Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

In the last few weeks more people in Highlands County appear to be facing charges of battering or resisting officers with violence.

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: November 5, 2009

SEBRING - Highlands County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Riley says he was hit in the chest by a thrown cellphone Saturday night after being dispatched to a Decatur Street home to check on an argument.

The allegedly drunk phone thrower was Jeri Jonelle Nichol, 24, of 1341 Lake Clay Drive, Lake Placid, and she was charged with third-degree battery on an officer, a felony.

Riley then tried to cuff Nichol, who reportedly started to struggle and try to break away, according to the arrest report. That led to another third-degree felony charge of resisting an officer without violence.

Violently resisting

Looking at daily arrest reports over the last few weeks, one thing has glared off the pages; more people in Highlands County appear to be facing charges of battering or resisting officers with violence.

The offenses can range from pushing an officer to punching them with a fist to putting up a struggle when an authority tries to put a suspect in cuffs. In lots of cases, if the perpetrator refuses to be taken quietly, law enforcement agents will use their departmental-issued Tasers to bring the situation to a close.

But why the sudden spike?

Sebring Police Lt. Bruce Crum doesn't think the numbers represent any type of trend and say these instances of violent suspects go through "peaks and valleys." Most decide whether to "fight, flight or submit" right as officers try to put the handcuffs on.

"A lot of it (also) has to do with what they're going to jail for," said Lake Placid Police Lt. James Fansler, who added that most will not resist if it's a minor offense, but may put up a fight if the charge is, for example, felony drug possession.

Fansler said another reason a suspect might resist is due to how many felony points he or she might have on their record.

In the Florida court system, a score sheet is prepared before a person is formally sentenced for a crime they have been found guilty of.

The score sheet is filled out by the state attorney's office and points are given based on the level of the offense.

The more points a person has, the more time they could spend behind bars, according to Fansler.

Deputies at the Highlands County Sheriff's Office haven't seen much of a change in the number of suspects charged with battery on an officer between Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, 2008 and the same period this year.

In that 2008 period, one person was charged with assault on an officer, while five were charged with battery, according to information from Sharon Burch, the sheriff's office's law enforcement analyst. Those numbers were unchanged over the last two months.

The sole difference was, in that two-month period in 2009, one person was charged with simple assault on an officer and another was charged with aggravated battery on an officer.

The real difference is the figures for resisting arrest. According to Burch, five people were arrested by sheriff's deputies between September and October 2008 for resisting with violence. Another 18 were charged with resisting without violence.

For the same period in 2009, only four were charged with violently resisting, but 28 faced a count of non-violent resisting.

If there is one factor that might be leading to a rise in violence against law enforcement, Fansler thinks it could be an overstressed population.

With fears over the economy and the swine flu epidemic, a pending arrest might send a person to their breaking point, Fansler thinks.

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at 863-386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com

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