Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Officers Bit In The City On The Bight

From the Middletown Police
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Earlier today, Middletown Police Officers responded to a call from Diana Anthony at 54 Spring St., who stated that a tow truck driver was attempting to take her vehicle. Diana Anthony told the officers on scene that she had not made a payment on the vehicle in months and knew that the tow truck driver could take the vehicle, but she did not want him to take the vehicle.

After officers spoke with the tow truck driver and reviewed his paperwork it was determined that he had the legal right to repossess Diana Anthony’s vehicle. Prior to police arrival, Diana Anthony attempted to drive her vehicle into a chain link fence on to 54 Spring St. She later told police she did this because she thought that the vehicle could not be repossessed if it was on her property.

Diana Anthony’s sister, Yesenia Anthony then climbed on top of the hood of the vehicle attempting to use a knife to cut through the chain link fence so the vehicle could be driven on to their property. As the officers were trying to get Diana Anthony away from the vehicle to let the tow truck driver take the vehicle, Yesenia Anthony climbed over the hood, roof and trunk of the vehicle to assist Diana Anthony.

One officer was trying to restrain Yesenia Anthony and she bit the officer on the hand. A second officer was placing Diana Anthony under arrest. The officers called for more back up as the father of the two women, James Anthony came out of the house charging the officers.

The father and two sisters were placed under arrest. In the process a police K-9 bit two of the officers that responded as back up. The officers that were injured were treated at Middlesex Hospital Emergency Department. The injuries consist of puncture wounds and bite marks.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typos in headline....sigh....it's "bite."

Stephen H. Devoto said...

The spill chukar didn't cache that won.

danielle said...

Sorry, I'm confused. Did the woman get bit as stated in the headline? Or was it just the officers.

Tree Fanatic said...

There is a tendency among English speakers to lose track of the inflected forms of verbs -- i.e., those that change form in the past or past perfect tenses. I bite today, yesterday I bit, last week I had bitten. People seem to be using "bit" for bitten, which leads to confusion in the reader's mind.
Even without that confusion, the Courant's version of this story was pretty colorful -- not only did a person bite a policeman, but so did a police dog. So, if it were up to the Grammar Police, the headline would read "Officers Bitten" -- and I have no idea what the Bight part of that head means. Last time I checked, a bight was part of a knot used by sailors. Not to be confused with knotted prose.

Stephen H. Devoto said...

The title of this post has now occupied more of my time than both of my P&Z meeting reports put together. When I received the press release from the police, I was sure that there was a clever title in it somewhere (in the "Man bites dog" category). This struggle continues.

Version 1: "Woman Bights Officer, Dog Bights Two" This was not as clever as I had hoped around midnight last night. It elicited a well-deserved sigh (thanks, Anonymous!).

Version 2: "Woman Bit in The City On The Bight" According to my dictionary, a bight is "a curve or recess in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature (from OLD ENGLISH byht, a bend or angle)." Clever? Perhaps. With a new error? Absolutely (thanks, danielle!).

Current version: "Officers Bit In The City On The Bight" I eagerly await your biting comments.

martel said...

You sound bitter.

:>)