Yesterday, Kenneth Howard Lee celebrated his 58th birthday. Or perhaps he didn't celebrate it at all; police reports tend to be silent on things like that. What we do know is that around 2 a.m. today, shortly after his special day was over, Lee was pepper-sprayed and then taken to jail, with a Dallas police officer alleging that the man had "intentionally caused" the officer "to come into contact with [Lee's] saliva."
According to the incident report, a Dallas police officer trainee named Robert Lyons told a fellow officer that he'd been driving his squad car when Lee "repeatedly spit" on him.
It's not clear if Lee was in the car at the time, being arrested for something else, or if this was more of a drive-by loogie situation. A police spokesperson couldn't help us clarify the issue, and no other charges appear on the arrest report. Officer Thomas reported that just after the alleged hocking occurred, she observed Lyons rapidly pull over and remove Lee from the vehicle, who was "violently thrashing about and resisting." Thomas writes that Lyons then delivered a one-second burst of pepper spray in Lee's face to bring him under control.
Thomas adds that post-spraying, Lyons immediately called Dallas Fire and Rescue to treat Lee. The man was treated at the scene and taken to Lew Sterrett "without further incident," where he posed for the mournful-looking, orange-tinted mugshot you see above.
Lee is being held on a $5,000 bond on charges of harassment of a public servant, a felony.
