Man who threatened to bite off deputy's ear gets probation for DUI - East Idaho News
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Man who threatened to bite off deputy’s ear gets probation for DUI

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IDAHO FALLS – A man was sentenced after drunkenly running from police and threatening to bite a deputy.

Christopher Thomas Reynolds, 35, was sentenced to two years of probation on Oct. 27 by Judge Michael Whyte.

Reynolds was originally charged with felony DUI, two counts of misdemeanor resisting and obstructing officers and misdemeanor failure to stop for an accident or leaving the scene of an accident.

As part of a plea agreement, Reynolds agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor excessive DUI, misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers, and misdemeanor failure to notify property owner upon striking fixtures if the prosecution dismissed the felony charges and second count of misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers.

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Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies say on July 1, they were called to a crash in Bonneville County where a vehicle was on fire, and a man was trapped inside.

A witness told police she saw the man, identified as Reynolds, “jump out of the car, look around and flee the scene.”

According to officers, the car was “fully engulfed.” A bystander ran up to the deputies and pointed in the direction that Reynolds had run.

Eventually, deputies found Reynolds “hiding along the east embankment, covering himself in grass.”

Once Reynolds was detained and handcuffed, deputies asked Reynolds how much he had to drink to which he allegedly replied, “Quite a lot.”

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When deputies tried to identify Reynolds, he would not give them a date of birth and said he was illiterate.

They ran a criminal history check after discovering his identity and discovered that Reynolds has had two previous DUI convictions out of California within the last 10 years.

When told he was under arrest, Reynolds “began to tear up and attempted to stand up,” according to the police report. Deputies tried to get him to sit back down, but Reynolds stood up and tried to push past the officers. He was then pushed to the ground and taken out and placed into the patrol car.

According to the deputies, while driving to the jail, Reynolds “began to smash his head up against the cage.” Deputies pulled the car over, opened the back door and “cradled (Reynolds’) head so he could not smash his head into the cage anymore.”

Reynolds then said he wanted to kill himself, asked deputies to “cap” him and said “he would bite (the deputy’s) ear off to get (the deputy) to shoot him.”

Due to Reynolds’ behavior, an ambulance was called as well as more deputies, and Reynolds was “strapped into a spine board” to be taken by ambulance to the Bonneville County Jail.

As part of Reynolds’ sentence, his driver’s license was suspended for one year, and he must apply to a problem-solving court.

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