Cops: Lower Township Man Resists Arrest, Assaults Officer

A man from North Cape May is facing a list of charges after cops say he drove drunk, assaulted an officer, and spit in a cop's face.

Lower Township Police say around 11PM on June 19th, an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding in the 500 block of Seashore Road in Erma. During the course of the stop, the officer determined the driver, 52-year-old David C. Hughes of North Cape May, was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Cops say while attempting to place Hughes under arrest, he became loud and abusive in a threatening and combative manner and refused to allow the officers to arrest him. Hughes struggled with officers and cops had to use a, "reasonable amount of force to control the defendant’s actions to effect the arrest," according to a press release.

Hughes was placed into a patrol vehicle where he spit in the face of the arresting officer.

Hughes was charged on a warrant for Resisting Arrest, Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Throwing Bodily Fluids on a Law Enforcement Officer, Failure to Allow Fingerprinting. In addition to the criminal charges, Hughes was issued motor vehicle summonses for Driving While Intoxicated, Refusal to Submit Breath Samples, Reckless Driving, and Speeding.  

Hughes was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Center.