Harrison Man Facing Felonies; Deputy Bitten During Arrest Struggle

A 44-year-old Harrison man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges following a physical confrontation with law enforcement during an arrest attempt in Bergman.

John Wesley Hardin was taken into custody on August 8 at a residence on Moark Drive. According to a probable cause affidavit from the Boone County Sheriff's Office, Corporal Nathan Jones and Deputy Justin James arrived at the scene to serve a felony warrant for first-degree terroristic threatening.

The incident began when Corporal Jones ordered Hardin to exit his home. Officials report that Hardin refused to comply and attempted to retreat inside, closing the door behind him. Corporal Jones followed him into the residence to execute the arrest, at which point Hardin allegedly resisted by grabbing the officer by the neck and shoving him away.

The struggle continued inside the home. Despite Deputy James assisting and Corporal Jones utilizing a Taser's drive stun feature, Hardin continued to fight the officers. As they eventually forced him to the floor to apply handcuffs, Hardin allegedly pushed Corporal Jones' head into a dog present in the home, resulting in the officer being bitten on his left cheek.

Once Hardin was successfully restrained, he informed officers that he believed his right shoulder was dislocated. He was transported to the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center for evaluation. After being cleared by medical staff, he was booked into the Boone County Detention Center.

Hardin is now facing several charges, including second-degree battery (a Class D felony), aggravated assault (a Class D felony), resisting arrest (a Class A misdemeanor), and obstructing governmental operations (a Class C misdemeanor). His bond has been set at $10,000 cash.

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