PONCE DE LEON, Fla. — A Florida deputy got part of his head bitten off by a guy high on drugs at a music festival in Ponce de Leon last weekend, authorities said.
The Holmes County Sheriff’s deputy was patrolling the area where Sol Fest was taking place at Vortex Spring when James Michael Anderson assaulted him and tried to grab his gun on May 5, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.
Anderson was under the influence of multiple substances including PCP, LSD, ketamine, mushrooms and ecstasy when he bit out a chunk of the deputy’s head, according to the sheriff's office. They were both transported to the hospital.
Anderson was tasered and eventually restrained with the help of several other deputies. He is facing charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
He was a volunteer at Vortex Spring, the venue where the festival was held.
Deputies said multiple people were arrested at the festival for drug possession. Law enforcement officers from Holmes County, Walton County, Washinton County, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Bonifay Police Department arrested six people on the final day. Those festival-goers were in possession of drugs ranging from cocaine to mushrooms.
The sheriff’s office also arrested a woman who was putting her feet in drinking water and “just terrorizing everyone,” while under the influence.
Two schools in the city were even closed on Monday due to traffic concerns stemming from the festival. In a Facebook post, the Holmes District School Board said there were 5,000 vehicles inside the venue’s area with “no clear time for their exit.”
