arkansas police arrested accused man of piercing her teenage son’s ear in alleged violation of state laws against various forms of «body art,» authorities said Sunday.
Officers booked Jeremy Sherland on suspicion of performing a body piercing on a minor under 16, endangering a minor and resisting arrest, according to a report. Tontitown Police Statement.
The investigation began Thursday when the suspect’s son told classmates that he had his left ear pierced, police said.
«While you are sitting in class talking to other students and a teacher present, the young man said his father was drunk and strangled him and stuck his ear piercing,” according to the police statement.
Sherland refused to speak to officers when they first arrived at his home, before meeting with Washington County prosecutors and returning to make the arrest, authorities said.
Video of the arrest appeared to show four policemen pushing their way into a house and handcuffing the man.
A woman in the video demanded to know the charges before the handcuffed man threw his head back and burst out laughing.
«Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Unlicensed Body Art! Unlicensed Body Art!» the arrested man was heard to say.
As the man walked around the corner and through the neighborhood, he could be heard laughing at the officers.
«Piercing your son’s ear without a license requires three cops, four cops?» the woman said as the camera followed the arrested man and four officers. «Without permission, they broke into the door of my house. This is the boy here. His father pierced his ear (and) these police officers entered my door, entered the front door.»
A younger man’s voice could also be heard behind the camera, intercutting, «I wanted my ears pierced.»
Representatives for the Tontitown Police Department and the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
It was also not immediately clear if Sherland had retained or been assigned a defense attorney.
Ali Gostanian contributed.