BETHEL HEIGHTS (KFSM) — A Springdale man was given one year probation and more than 100 hours of community service after resisting arrest and fighting with an officer during a traffic stop earlier this year.
Charelston Armando Martin, 21, pleaded guilty last month in Benton County Circuit Court to resisting arrest, second-degree criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a second-degree battery charge.
Martin was arrested Jan. 30 after allegedly biting and kicking a Bethel Heights police officer during a traffic stop.
The officer noticed a car parked on Remington Road and stopped to make contact with the driver, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The officer was speaking to Martin when he noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming the car, so he asked Martin to step out of the vehicle.
The officer told Martin he was being detained, but Martin turned around and punched him.
Martin then ran to the front of the officer’s patrol car, and when the the officer grabbed him, Martin tried to grab the officer’s gun, according to the affidavit.
As the pair continued to wrestle, Martin yelled to his friends for help, and two juveniles began to approach before running away, according to the affidavit.
The officer said his arm was near Martin’s mouth while they were on the ground, and Martin bit him before kicking at him and running away.
Martin hid under a truck to avoid being tased, but was apprehended by a passerby soon after and arrested.
Martin and the officer were taken to a hospital for treatment. The officer said he suffered “road rash” to his hand, scrapes to his knees and had a knot above his right eye. The officer’s patrol car was also damaged in the scuffle, according to the affidavit.
Officers recovered digital scales and roughly seven grams of marijuana from Martin’s vehicle. Police didn’t find the kids who ran off.
