He was sitting in the middle of the road enjoying a beer – that’s how Opp Police Chief Mike McDonald described officers’ first encounter with an Opp man arrested Friday on a host of charges, including assaulting a police officer.

McDonald said Monday that the officers noticed Brandy L. Bell, 27, just before midnight at the intersection of Hardin and Washington streets.

“There he was, sitting in the middle of the road, drinking a beer,” McDonald said of Bell. “When (Bell) saw the patrol unit, he walked over and handed another individual something and started to walk back. That’s when the officer got out, took Bell over to the patrol car and began patting him down.”

McDonald said when the officer removed Bell’s hat, he noticed something strange.

“It appeared to be cocaine, right there in the top of (Bell’s) hat,” he said. “That’s when the officer notified the station and Bell attempted to break and run.”

McDonald said the officer grabbed Bell. As a result of the struggle, Bell was taken into custody, he said.

“The officer received slight injures on his face, scratches and cuts from (Bell’s) fingernails,” McDonald said. “Bell was not injured, but he was taken to the Covington County Jail.”

Bell is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, assault III, obstruction of governmental operations, giving false information to a law enforcement officer and public intoxication. He remains in the county jail under a $250,000 bond.