| By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
A Union City man accused of assaulting two police officers has been bound over to the grand jury.
Dustin Shane Rasberry, 23, appeared Thursday in Obion County General Sessions Court on charges that include two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer.
Circuit Court Clerk Harry Johnson confirmed the case was bound over during Thursday’s court action.
Obion County’s grand jury is next scheduled to convene the first Monday in October.
Rasberry was arrested at 10:40 p.m. Aug. 30 at 509 Nash St. in Union City for two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, as well as charges of public intoxication and resisting a stop, frisk, halt or arrest, according to a Union City Police Department report.
The assault charges stem from injuries sustained by Union City police investigator Chris Cummings and Cpl. Dave Green while they were on patrol on the midnight shift.
Police reported the day after the incident that officers had responded to 509 Nash St., Apt. 27, in reference to a 911 hang-up call and arrived there to see Rasberry, whom officers reported they had dealt with earlier on a disturbance. The investigator asked Rasberry to come down from some stairs so they could speak and he allegedly declined and told them he’d been drinking.
According to the report, the investigator started toward him and he turned to run back into the apartment, resulting in the law enforcement officer’s ordering him to stop. He allegedly continued inside and the investigator followed, telling Rasberry he was under arrest.
Police reported Rasberry “balled up his fists, ready to fight.” Officers deployed a taser, which had little effect, and Rasberry was able to pull the probes out.
Rasberry then allegedly began to fight police and assaulted Cummings and Green while they were attempting to arrest him — with Cummings kicked in the head a number of times and Green suffering a fractured nose after being punched in the nose and mouth area.
Rasberry was detained after more police arrived on the scene.
Cummings, 41, and Green, 51, were both taken to the emergency room of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City, where they were treated and released, according to interim Union City Police Chief Perry Barfield. Both have since returned to duty.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by email at cmenees@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 9.14.12 |
