Florida man who bit deputy’s head down to the skull at music festival is sentenced

BONIFAY, Fla. (TCN) -- A 37-year-old man will spend time behind bars for trying to grab a deputy’s gun at a music festival and biting a part of his head off.

The Florida State Attorney’s Office for the 14th Judicial Circuit said in a March 10 news release that James Anderson entered a plea to aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. A judge sentenced him to six years in prison plus 10 years of felony probation upon his release.

According to the Miami Herald, Anderson was volunteering at the site of the SolFest Music Festival. His attorney reportedly claimed that he followed a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office deputy after the victim climbed a ladder into the belly of a giant robot, which served as a DJ booth and command center. Anderson’s attorney allegedly argued the area was restricted, and a confrontation broke out between Anderson and the deputy. During the altercation, Anderson reportedly tried to grab the deputy’s gun from his holster.

Prosecutors said Anderson then bit the deputy "so deep that the deputy’s skull bone was exposed, and the defendant complained 'he had hair in his teeth.'" During the incident, Anderson removed a "large piece of flesh."

After the bite, the Miami Herald reports that Anderson was Tased, but backup law enforcement responded to subdue him. Investigators believe Anderson was on PCP, LSD, ketamine, mushrooms, and ecstasy at the time. However, Anderson’s attorney argued that the defendant did not test positive for those drugs at the hospital.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook said the victim recovered from his injuries but suffered severe scarring. The deputy is still active with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.

In a statement, Cook said, "This is the most severe bite wound I have ever seen in my career as a prosecutor, and this defendant is going to spend the next several years in prison paying for his violent actions."

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