PR man accused of biting deputies

SPIRIT LAKE — A Priest River man was arrested on Monday after allegedly biting and attempting to head butt Bonner County sheriff’s deputies.

The deputies were summoned to the intersection of Spirit Lake Cutoff and Wild Meadows roads shortly before 2 p.m. to conduct a welfare check on Matthew Steven Nuss. Passersby reportedly saw Nuss waving his arms and laying beside the road. He was subsequently reported to be unresponsive, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Deputies suspected Nuss was under the influence of an unknown intoxicant because he was acting paranoid, speaking in gibberish and appeared to be unsure of his whereabouts, the affidavit said. As emergency medical technicians from the Spirit Lake Fire District conducted evaluations, Nuss attempted to bolt away and a struggle ensued.

Nuss, 34, allegedly tried to head-butt Deputy Alex Hughes and bit Deputy Gary Madden in his left bicep during the struggle, the affidavit said. Nuss resisted being escorted to the patrol vehicle and bit one of Hugh’s fingers.

Both bites drew blood, according to court documents.

Deputies and EMTs had to apply pain compliance techniques to get Hughes to stop biting him, the affidavit said.

Nuss was due to appear in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Tuesday to be arraigned via videoconferencing. However, the proceeding was rescheduled for today for unspecified reasons.

Nuss is charged with two counts of battery on a law officer, a felony offense.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.