HANCOCK COUNTY — A Greenfield man accused of resisting police during a scuffle after a traffic stop faces five charges, including a Level 5 felony count of battery on a police officer, after one of the policemen suffered a broken finger.
The incident happened last week when an officer for the Greenfield Police Department spotted a burning object being thrown from a vehicle in the 200 block of East McKenzie Road.
The officer, Dillon Silver, attempted to pull the car over and followed it onto Magnolia Drive, a short distance away. According to records filed in the case, the driver, Cody Cecil, became argumentative. Cecil, 24, 1000 block of Cypress Drive, Greenfield, was asked to exit the car and did, but he refused to cooperate with police when asked to get on his knees, the report said. By this time, two other Greenfield police officers had arrived on the scene to help.
Silver and one of the officers, Justin Jackson, attempted to arrest the suspect, who was continuing to be argumentative, fidgety and resisting police. Officers were eventually able to get Cecil to the ground, where he had to be doubled cuffed, police said. During the scuffle, Jackson suffered an injury to his hand, and his body microphone was broken. He was treated at Hancock Regional Hospital for a broken finger.
While fighting and then arresting Cecil, Silver said he could smell alcohol on Cecil’s breath.
According to reports, Cecil told police he didn’t stop because he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He continued on until he arrived at his residence.
Cecil faces five charges in all: the Level 5 count; a Level 6 count of resisting law enforcement; a Class A misdemeanor of resisting law enforcement; a Class A misdemeanor of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person; and a Class B misdemeanor of criminal mischief.
Cecil was taken to the Hancock County Jail where he remained until posting a $1,000 cash bond. He has a pre-trial conference set for Wednesday, March, 6.
