Orion Twp. man arrested for spitting at deputy, damaging patrol car

An Orion Township man is facing charges after spitting on an Oakland County Sheriff's deputy and damaging a patrol car, authorities said.

The father of the 27-year-old resident went to the township substation on Tuesday with a court order authorizing officers to take him into protective custody and transport the man to a crisis center, investigators said in a statement.

Deputies found the man near Heights and Lapeer roads and put him in the backseat of a patrol vehicle. But when told about the destination, "he became aggressive" toward them and started to kick the rear doors, bending both about 4 inches and causing an estimated $2,000 worth of damage, according to the release.  

The deputies tried to explain their involvement to de-escalate the encounter, but the suspect spat at them several times through an open window, including in the face of a 20-year veteran, county officials wrote.

The 27-year-old was held at the Oakland County Jail on charges of assaulting a police officer and malicious destruction of police property.