Flagler County

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office: Deputy bitten by woman while responding to domestic disturbance

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A woman was arrested and facing felony charges for biting a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy at her home while responding to a domestic disturbance call, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Cherie Sanders, 38, was arrested and being charged with battery on a law-enforcement officer, domestic battery and resisting an officer with violence, according to a news release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, deputies responded to Brookside Lane in Palm Coast for a domestic disturbance. Deputies saw Saunders in her driveway with “her make-up smeared, no shoes, slurred speech, and a heavy scent of alcohol” on her, the news release states.

During the investigation, deputies determined that Saunders had slapped a man inside the home. While deputies attempted to to solve the situation, Saunders became argumentative and would not cooperate with the investigation, even approaching the deputies in a threatening manner. Sanders then began “kicking and screaming when deputies attempted to secure her handcuffs,” according to the news release.

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During the struggle, Saunders bit one of the deputies on his right calf, and refused to release until another deputy was able to free her grip on his leg, the news release states. Saunders left “a 2-inch mark which immediately showed broken skin, swelling and bruising,” according to the news release.

The deputy who was bitten began to feel ill shortly after and lost consciousness momentarily. He was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation but was not seriously injured.

“Rather than let us handle the investigation in a civil manner, this woman actively fought our deputies and bit one deputy resulting in a trip to the hospital,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the news release. “If you attack my deputies you will not win and you will go to the Green Roof Inn facing serious charges. This is a prime example of how dangerous domestic violence calls are for our deputies to handle.”

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While in the patrol vehicle, Sanders vomited in the patrol vehicle, the news release states, and it was determined that she would need to be medically cleared by the hospital prior to booking due to her level of intoxication.

Saunders was released from $5,000 bond. She was previously arrested in 2018 for resisting an officer without violence.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted body camera footage of the incident of the incident. WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE.