By Brandi Makuski

A Stevens Point man faces more than 10 years behind bars and over $40,000 in fines after being accused of biting two police officers multiple times when they attempted to take him into custody.

Christopher Mence, 22, was arrested after a physical confrontation with Stevens Point police at about 6:30 AM on April 25. Police were called earlier by a woman reporting a suspicious individual, later determined to be Mence, on the 2100 block of Ellis Street.

Officers found Mence sleeping inside the home of a woman he had previously been ordered to avoid. By making contact with the woman, Mence was in violation of his bond stemming from a previous charge.

According to the complaint, Mence came to the home to retrieve his medication, also telling the woman he “had nowhere to go”.

Officers were able to escort Mence to the front porch without incident. Once on the porch, Mence moved away from the officers and “took a boxer stance”, saying the officers were not taking him to jail. Officers then attempted to handcuff him, but Mence resisted, falling — with one of the officers — on to the front porch couch.

As another officer pulled his taser, Mence insisted he had a medical condition and could not be tased; he then placed his hands behind his back and allowed officers to cuff him.

Mence began resisting again when officers started moving him towards a squad car, and continued resisting when they placed him in the backseat. During the scuffle, Mence bit one of the officers’ fingers, causing it to “bleed heavily”, while another officer called for immediate backup.

Mence continued to “thrash” around, according to the complaint, grabbing one officer’s leg and biting another near his right pocket and on the leg. During the altercation, one officer’s eyeglasses were broken, and another officer’s whistle chain was also broken.

One officer, along with Mence, were taken in separate ambulances to Ministry St. Michael’s for treatment. The officer required stitches to his index finger where Mence bit him, and had a laceration and “extensive bruising” on his leg.

Mence continued to yell loudly at patients and staff while being checked for injuries in the emergency department, according to the complaint.

Mence faces three counts of bail-jumping and one count each of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. He is also charged with two counts of criminal damage to property, and one count each of attempted battery to a law enforcement officer and battery to a law enforcement officer.

He returns to court on July 5.