An arrest of a man who allegedly burglarized a church took a bizarre turn when he bashed his head into the ground and destroyed parts of a police car Tuesday morning.
Jason Helton, 37, was charged with burglary, resisting arrest and destruction of property.
Jason Helton, 37, has been charged with burglary, resisting arrest and destruction of property.An employee of the City Church at 7122 Lee Highway called 911 and told authorities she watched a man break into the church at about 6:43 a.m. Police arrived on the scene, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Police Department, and created a perimeter.
Helton ran out the back of the building and was captured by officers. When he was interviewed on scene, he told officers he was under the influence of a controlled substance, the release said.
Helton was put in the back of a police car en route to the Hamilton County Jail, but several times during the ride, Helton repositioned the handcuffs in front of his body and officers had to take him out to reposition his handcuffs.
During one of these attempts, Helton tried to hurt himself by banging his head against the security partition in the car. The officer called for backup and they got Helton out of the car to reposition his handcuffs behind his back.
During this time, Helton tried to pull away from the officers, the release said, but officers pulled him to the ground. Helton then started to bang his head on the ground and began bleeding from a cut on his forehead.
"Based on Mr. Helton's bizarre and combative behavior the transporting officer changed his destination of transport to a local hospital to have Mr. Helton evaluated," the release said.
Once again, during his transport, Helton repositioned his handcuffs in front of his body and began destroying the rear passenger compartment of the patrol car. The release said he pulled out electrical wires, tore up the seat cushion and pulled up the floor cover.
Helton's bond information has not been posted.