Jennings really wants officer to take him to jail

A drunk man who wanted to get arrested got his wish last week after he took a punch at a police officer to convince the lawman to take him to jail.

The suspect, Brian D. Jennings, 37, of West End Avenue is charged with assault of an officer and resisting arrest.

He is charged for taking a swing at McMinnville Police Sgt. Mark Mara after the policeman refused to take him to jail after being requested to do so by Jennings.

‘He wanted to go to jail,’ Mara said of Jennings, who had called police to his home. ‘He became irate because I wouldn’t take him to jail. He stated he wanted to go to jail because that is where his family and friends are.’

Jennings upped the ante by telling Mara he would hit him if he did not take him to jail, something the officer warned him not to do.

‘He got into my face and attempted to assault me by swinging his arm trying to punch me in the head,’ Mara said, noting he ducked the punch and he and Sgt. Robert Hutchins wrestled the drunk man to the ground, handcuffing him before taking him to jail as the suspect had requested.

While getting his wish to go to jail, the trip was not the first for Jennings as the suspect has 12 prior convictions for public intoxication. However, in the case of his recent arrest, Jennings was not publicly drunk as he was in his own home, meaning lawmen had no reason to take him to jail until he threw the punch.