No biting.
That’s one of the first lessons children are taught.
Miquel McNorton, 49, was reminded of that recently after jurors convicted him on a misdemeanor charge.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, McNorton was found guilty of misdemeanor charge for battery on an officer and two counts of resisting arrest stemming from an Aug. 18 run-in with two officers, one of whom he bit on the wrist.
Prosecutors say McNorton has been arrested 16 times since 1988 for attacking officers, eight of whom he bit.
Before the latest verdict, he had only been convicted of misdemeanors in three cases.
The repeat cop-biter avoided felony conviction with a misdemeanor charge.
One juror said the panel was not convinced that Officer Michael Wolf had suffered a serious enough injury for the attack to be felony battery.
Superior Court Judge Kevin McCarthy, who presided over the case, barred prosecutors from telling the jury about McNorton’s history, calling it irrelevant.
In both criminal and civil law, a battery is the intentional touching of, or application of force to, the body of another person, in a harmful or offensive manner, and without consent.
McNorton’s defense attorney is arranging for him to receive mental health treatment upon his release.
McNorton could spend four months in custody on top of the four months he has served awaiting trial.If convicted of a felony, McNorton could have been sent to state prison for as much as three years.
- Man convicted of misdemeanor for biting officer (Associated Press)
- What’s the Difference Between a Felony and a Misdemeanor? (FindLaw)
- Battery Basics (FindLaw)
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