Man accused of kicking, struggling with OC police

An Oil City man is facing charges for repeatedly kicking Oil City police officers and struggling with them when they took him into custody Wednesday evening.

Police said in a criminal complaint they were dispatched at about 8 p.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 200 block of Bissell Avenue for an intoxicated man later identified as Dalton Beach, 22.

When police arrived, they were told Beach was being restrained in the basement by two men, the complaint said. Officers entered the basement and found two men holding down Beach, who was yelling and “visibly under the influence of a controlled substance,” the complaint said.

When officers went to assist the men who were holding Beach down, he kicked the officers, the complaint said. Police were able to handcuff Beach and he continued to struggle with the officers as they took him out of the residence, according to the complaint.

Beach kicked the officers again while he was being taken to a cruiser, and he headbutted one officer in the face and grabbed an officer’s duty weapon, the complaint said.

Police were able to get Beach into the cruiser, though he kicked the officers again and grabbed the radio cord of one of the officers, causing the officer to lean into the cruiser toward Beach, the complaint said.

Once Beach was securely in the back of the cruiser, he continued to headbutt the divider in the cruiser, causing his head to bleed, the complaint said.

Beach continued to struggle with police and medical personnel when officers arrived with him at the police station, according to the complaint.

Beach was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault — fear of imminent serious bodily injury to designated individuals and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

He was arraigned Thursday and placed in the Venango County jail with bail denied for the “health and safety of the defendant and society,” the complaint said.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Central Court.