Report: St. Augustine man on fentanyl gets jaw broken from brachial stun after biting deputy

A St. Augustine man was arrested Tuesday after a scuffle with St. Johns County deputies, leaving him with a broken jaw.

Maxwell Elder, 20, of St. Augustine, was arrested Tuesday and is being charged with possession of narcotics, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, resisting with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.

According to a St. Johns County offense report, police were called by a neighbor who asked them to give Elder a trespass warning.

After the call, the report says Elder stole a $300 extension ladder, but the neighbor did not want to press charges against Elder.

Once a deputy arrived to his home, he said he found Elder in the driveway.

When the responding deputy asked if Elder knew why he was there, Elder responded "Are you with me or against me?"

The deputy said he noticed Elder was holding a multi-colored glass pipe with a baggie in his left hand.

The report says the deputy immediately secured Elder in handcuffs and took away the suspected narcotics.

When the deputy was searching him, Elder told the deputy he had a patch on his leg for bug bites, the report said.

According to the report, the deputy suspected it was a fentanyl patch and called fire and rescue to respond to the scene.

An additional deputy arrived and, according to the report, attempted to help the initial responder arrest Elder.

When the deputies tried to place Elder on the rear of a patrol vehicle, Elder "became enraged for no apparent reason," banging his head forcefully against the back window of the car, the report said.

Deputies said Elder tried kicking one of them in the groin, so they took him to the ground to prevent him from injuring himself.

That's when Elder bit one of the deputies, the report said. The deputy stated, "Stop biting me."

The report said the deputy who was being bitten then attempted to deliver a brachial stun and managed to get Elder to let go.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue informed the deputy that the patch was fentanyl, the report said, and Elder was placed under arrest and taken to Flagler Hospital for medical clearance.

Doctors told deputies that Elder sustained a broken jaw from the incident, as well as a cut on the inside of his lip, stating it was likely a result from the attempted brachial stun, according to the report.