By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
BOONE, N.C. — It’s not uncommon for police vehicles to come under attack, but one department in North Carolina is reporting what may be the first known attempt by a suspect to chew their way out of a patrol car.
The strange incident happened Jan. 2 in Boone, about 110 miles northwest of Charlotte, and involved a 32-year-old woman accused of assault, police officials told McClatchy News.
“Yes. That happened,” the Boone Police Department wrote in a Jan. 4 Facebook post. “We may need to invest in Kevlar seat covers.”
It’s theorized the handcuffed woman became so angry at her arrest that she resorted to biting whatever she could reach with her teeth, police said.
“A substantial amount of padding” was chewed away — amounting to $650 in damage to the vehicle, according to Boone Police Sgt. Dennis O’Neal.
The department is still deciding whether to file charges in connection with the damage, which was discovered after the suspect had been processed into the jail, he said.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, I’m sure she regrets putting herself in that position of eating the back of police car now that everything is calm,” O’Neal said.
The department’s Facebook post has gotten hundreds of reactions and comments, including some who couldn’t believe seat chewing “doesn’t happen more often.”
“They wouldn’t put their mouth on anything back there if they knew what other people did back there!” one commenter wrote.
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