SALISBURY — A man already in jail awaiting trial on attempted murder charges has been charged with assaulting two county detention center officers, including biting one of them on the face.
Quentin Odell Mathis, 30, was originally charged in May 2011 following a shooting at the Mooresville dragstrip, where authorities say he shot two men. The shooting occurred during an event attended by hundreds of people, including children in the crowd.
Mathis has been in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $1 million bond since he turned himself in to Charlotte authorities in May.
On Sunday, Rowan Sheriff’s deputies were conducting a random search at the jail. When Mathis refused to move aside, officers said he and other inmates in the area would be placed on “lockdown,” said Capt. John Sifford.
Deputy J.L. Kemph placed his hand on Mathis to get him to move and Mathis punched the deputy, Sifford said.
According to reports, Mathis began pushing the deputy, who fell backward onto the floor; Mathis then began biting Kemph on the arm, the face and top of his head.
Mathis told Kemph he would bite the deputy’s eye, a report said.
Mathis also “forced” another deputy, S.L. Hopkins, against a wall by pushing him. Other officers used a Taser to subdue Mathis.
Mathis was given an additional $7,500 secured bond. He is charged with felony assault inflicting serious injury on a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor assault on a law enforcement officer.