BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PILGRIM — Serving a bench warrant in Pilgrim turned violent Oct.19 for law enforcement officers in Martin County.

Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy David Adams got a call to assist Constable Bradford Preece at a residence on S. Wolf Creek. The constable was attempting to arrest 38-year-old Adam Maynard of Pilgrim on a bench warrant in a domestic violence case.

According to the arrest report, Preece stated Maynard was armed with a hammer and threatening to “hit any law enforcement that came.”

Adams arrived to find Preece advising Maynard that he was going to jail. Maynard allegedly told Preece he was not going to jail and officers “would have to kill him.”

Adams said he attempted to place Maynard in handcuffs, but Maynard kept pulling away and saying he wasn’t going to jail.

The deputy stated Maynard “squared up to fight saying ‘you don’t want none of this.’”

Adams grabbed Maynard’s arm “to gain control. He began to pull away again.”

Constable Tony Preece “grabbed Maynard in a bear hug to get him under control,” Adams reported.

“At that point, [Maynard] kneed me in the groin. He squared up again to fight. I closed-fist hit [Maynard] in the left cheek and right side jaw. [He] tried to push me back and I closed-fist hit [him] in the ribs and took him down to the bed. [Maynard] stopped fighting and placed his hands behind his back and was placed in cuffs and taken into custody without further incident.”

Maynard was charged with resisting arrest and third-degree assault (police officer).