A distressed Adel man allegedly assaulted law enforcement officers Tuesday when they tried to assist him.
Stephen Joseph Smith, 52, of 29456 Old Portland Road, Adel, was charged with assault on persons in certain occupations-bodily injury and interference with official acts.
The incident began about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 29400 block of Old Portland Road, where officers of the Adel Police Department conducted a welfare check on a man reported to be suicidal.
Smith presented to the officers with “bruises on his shoulders” and “blood on his chest and legs,” according to court records. “I wish to die,” he told the officers.
As the officers engaged with Smith, he became restive, and the officers decided it would be best if they “placed handcuffs on him for his safety and” the safety of the officers, according to court records.
Smith allegedly “resisted the entire time while officers placed handcuffs on him, which caused an abrasion on” an officer’s arm, according to court records. Smith began to abuse the officers verbally and allegedly “lunged his head toward” an officer and spat at him.
Smith is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Nov. 10 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
