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Deputy Assaulted During Search for Missing Person

Posted at 3:52 PM, Apr 18, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-18 15:52:27-04

MORLEY, Mich (April 18, 2014) – A 28-year-old man from Morley that was the focus of a missing persons investigation is now behind bars, accused of assaulting a Mecosta County Sheriff’s Deputy.

arnulfo ortiz

Arnulfo Ortiz, 28 (Photo: Mecosta County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies were called to a home in the Village of Morley around 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning for a suspicious/missing person’s complaint.  Investigators learning 28-year-old Arnulfo Ortiz of Morley had run from his home after suffering what deputies say was an apparent self-inflicted knife wound.

A K-9 unit from the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Department was able to track Ortiz south from the residence on Rails to Trials, finding him approximately one mile from the home he’d left.

Officers found Ortiz with a foot long blade in his possession, which they were able to secure before Ortiz is accused of assaulting one of the Deputies on scene.

Investigators say alcohol appears to be a factor in the incident.

Ortiz faces several felony charges, including Carrying a Weapon with Unlawful Intent and Assaulting a Police Officer.  He was treated at a Big Rapids hospital for his apparent self-inflicted injuries and given a mental health evaluation before being lodged at the Mecosta County Jail.

He was arraigned on the charges this morning, and remains in custody on $50,000 bond.