MITCHELL – A Mitchell man was arrested Wednesday when Mitchell Police officers were called to the 100 block of West Grissom Road after a report of a domestic fight.
When officers arrived the two parties involved had been separated. Officers met with a male who was bleeding from his hand. The man told police he approached 74-year-old Douglas Kesterson when he witnessed him attempt to kick a cat. Kesterson grabbed a metal pipe and struck the male several times. The man suffered red marks on his lower back and an injury to his hand. The man signed a battery affidavit, but he medical treatment.
Officers found Kesterson sitting at the house next door. The officers approached Kesterson who was still holding the metal pipe. Kesterson refused to drop the pipe when the officers informed him they were going to detain him and to drop the pipe.
Kesterson would not comply to the officers multiple requests for him to drop the pipe and stated the other man “had no right to be on his property”.
An officer attempted to grab Kesterson and he pushed the officer’s hands away. He was then warned the officers would use their TASER if he did not comply.
Kesterson told the officer to go ahead and tase him, raised his hands in the air, and began walking away from the officers.
An officer unholstered his TASER and grabbed Kesterson’s arm and assisted him to the ground. Kesterson struggled with the officer refusing to be placed in handcuffs.
The officer was eventually able to detain Kesterson. A Ruger LCP-II .380 pistol was found in Kesterson’s pant pocket.
Kesterson told police he was sitting on his porch when a cat came up to him and he attempted to “nudge the cat away”. The other male approached Kesterson and began “hollering at him and walked up and started to fling his hands around”.
That is when Kesterson grabbed the metal pipe and began to strike the other male with it.
When asked why Kesterson hit the other male he replied, “he could’ve cracked his skull if he wanted to”.
The metal pipe was placed in evidence.
Kesterson faces charges of battery resulting in serious injury, and resisting arrest.
