Man bites dog during arrest in rural Nebraska cornfield, sheriff’s office says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A man tried to fight a dog Wednesday during an arrest in rural Lincoln County, the sheriff’s office said.

Around noon, Lincoln County deputies found an abandoned vehicle in a pasture near Hershey.

The vehicle, which was disabled, had been stolen from a shop in North Platte.

Witnesses reported seeing a man – later identified as 38-year-old Roman Reyes – run into a nearby cornfield.

Deputies couldn’t find him, so the Nebraska State Patrol was called in to help.

Eventually, Reyes was found near Birdwood Creek, but he refused to come out of the field, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities tried shooting pepper balls, but it didn’t work.  Deputies then deployed a dog to help in the arrest.

As authorities approached Reyes, he bit the dog in the face.

“The best biter prevailed and the suspect was handcuffed and arrested,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

Reyes was taken to a hospital and later arrested on suspicion of theft, possession of stolen property, resisting arrest and harassing a police animal.

He was suspected to be under the influence of drugs, the sheriff’s office said.

The dog was not injured.