then late Wednesday night a deputy had to subdue a battery suspect who wasn’t ready to give up.
“Yeah, it’s been a long week,” Hempstead County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy James Singleton said Thursday.

 Singleton said HPD Deputy Justin Crane investigated a domestic battery complaint near Blevins shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, and had to track down a suspect who wanted to fight it out.
“Upon arrival at 356 County Road 17 near Blevins, Deputy Justin Crane was met by James Hunn, the owner of the residence, who appeared to be bleeding from the head and face,” Singleton said. He said Hunn had been seeking to remove another man from his property, was assaulted in the process, and the man had fled.

Singleton said the incident began when Hunn reported that he had investigated a disturbance at his daughter’s residence, where he was allegedly struck with a stick by the unknown assailant.
“Deputy Crane located Edward Bryan Herrick a short distance from the residence,” he said. “Herrick refused to comply with Deputy Crane’s request to submit to arrest and O.C. Spray was employed by the deputy, who then took Herrick into custody.”

Hunn was taken by private vehicle to Hope for medical treatment, Singleton said.
Herrick was taken to the Hempstead County Detention Facility on allegations of battery second degree with injury with a weapon, third degree domestic battery and resisting arrest, Singleton said. He is awaiting a first judicial appearance.

County deputies Justin Thornton and Gary Dorman were on patrol Tuesday night, and they reported coming upon a blue Ford pickup truck in the Ozan area about 10:30 p.m., and when the black man and white male occupants of the truck were questioned about its ownership, one fled.
“They said they didn’t know who owned the truck,” Singleton said. “They started walking away and the deputies asked them to come back and the deputies patted them down for safety.”

He said a small container with what appeared to be small, white rocks of crack cocaine was found in the pocket of Thomas Belk, Jr., of 121 Hempstead County Road 411, and he was about to be arrested for possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine) when he fled.

“Deputy Dorman apprehended him in a wooded area,” Singleton said.
The other suspect, Mark Harris, of Hempstead County Road 37 in Ozan, was arrested for possession of drug parahrenailia. Harris was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of one of the patrol cars, Singleton said. While Thornton and Dorman were in pursuit of Belk, Harris allegedly escaped.
“He managed to climb over the seat and got out of the door,” Singleton said.

He said Harris turned himself in at the county jail on Wednesday morning.
“He still had the handcuffs on, but they had been cut into,” Singleton said.
He said Belk remains in jail on possession of a controlled substance and misdemeano fleeing allegations. Harris remained in jail on allegations of possession of drug paraphernalia and second degree escape.
Singleton said the case remains under investigation.