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June 16, 2009

Man believed to be off meds strikes JPD officer

Editor’s note: Due to policy, the Jacksonville Daily Progress does not publish the identities of mental patients involved in crimes.



By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

An ACCESS patient believed to be off his medication was arrested Sunday morning after interfering with traffic on U.S. Highway 69 and then attacking a law enforcement officer who tried to assist him.

Officers with the Jacksonville Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Jackson and Pine streets about 1 a.m. in reference to a man obstructing the roadway.

“The officers arrived and activated their lights to try to get the traffic off of him so that nobody hit him. He then ran over to one of the police vehicles and started banging on the window and cussing at the officers,” said Sgt. Daniel Franklin. “Officer Jeff Docktor was able to distract the man and get him away from the car so that Sgt. Greg Compton was able to get out of the vehicle. Then when Compton got out, the man tried to kick at him but missed.”

Docktor then sprayed the man with OC (pepper) spray, but it did not appear to have much effect, according to reports. The 53-year-old man then attempted to run from the scene and was grabbed by the officers.

“As they were trying to get control of him, the man swung around and struck Officer Docktor in the back of the head with a closed fist — causing him pain but no serious injury. They were then able to take him down and get him into handcuffs,” Franklin said.

The patient was then transported to the police station and EMS came to the jail to decontaminate him from the OC spray. While being treated, JPD says the man made another attempt to kick an officer.

Earlier in the weekend, officers had been called to East Texas Medical Center-Jacksonville because a belligerent man was running through the halls slamming doors and trying to break into the Intensive Care Unit.

According to Franklin, based on information provided by the hospital staff, JPD believes the man arrested in the street is the same individual who disrupted the hospital.

“Some people are not affected by OC spray, and sometimes with a mentally challenged person they don’t realize that they are in pain so it doesn’t work on them,” he said. “On our side of it, the fact that he is an ACCESS patient doesn’t have any effect on the charges against him. He was arrested for assault on a public servant, resisting arrest and obstructing a highway.”

Bonds were set at $15,000 for assaulting the officer, $2,500 for resisting arrest and $1,500 for obstructing the highway.

• • •

In other news, the police arrested one man for assaulting another man Friday night outside Neon Therapy Country Club. Shawn Valenzuela, 18, was taken into custody after the police determined he was responsible for attacking another man in the parking lot.

Officers arrived to find the victim still unconscious from the injuries he had received. EMS was called to the scene, and the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment.

“The officers looked at the security footage and observed the actor and the victim getting into a verbal altercation. Valenzuela then grabbed the victim by the shirt and struck him numerous times in the head with a closed fist,” Franklin said. “Seeing that he was still on scene, the officers then made contact with the actor and placed him under arrest for assault causing bodily injury.”

According to the police department, the 20-year-old victim is alleged to have made inappropriate comments to Valenzuela’s girlfriend. JPD sources say no charges have been filed against the victim, who they believe to have been intoxicated. Also, they expect no repercussions for Neon Country Club because there is no proof the victim was drinking inside the establishment, which can only serve alcohol to people 21 years of age and older.

Valenzuela’s bond was set at $1,500.

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