BONIFAY – A man at the SolFest music festival who tried to grab a deputy’s gun from his holster and then bit the deputy in the head has been sentenced to 6 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
James Michael Anderson, 37, of Westville, entered a plea to Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement officer Friday and was adjudicated guilty. Holmes County Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts sentenced the defendant to 6 years in prison, followed by 10 years of felony probation.
The defendant was arrested on May 5, 2024, after attacking a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office deputy at the SolFest music festival in Ponce de Leon. The bite wound was so deep that the deputy’s skull bone was exposed, and the defendant complained “he had hair in his teeth.”
“Violence against our local law enforcement officers will not be tolerated, and criminals that make the choice to do so will be held responsible,” said Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook. “This is the most severe bite wound I have ever seen in my career as a prosecutor, and this defendant is going to spend the next several years in prison paying for his violent actions.”
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Cook said the victim has recovered from his injuries, albeit with significant scarring, and remains on the job at the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.
Cook was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence at trial proving the deputy was working the SolFest music festival, which drew an estimated 10,000 people over the weekend, when he was randomly attacked by the Defendant.
Investigators said the defendant unsuccessfully tried to pull the deputy’s duty gun from his holster, and then attacked the deputy. He bit his head hard enough to remove a large piece of flesh, exposing part of the skull.
Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its work on both the case, and its handling of the large crowd over that weekend.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.