A Tombstone deputy marshal who deployed his Taser after being punched in the face as he tried to make a DUI arrest Sunday afternoon was treated at Benson Hospital for facial injuries suffered during the incident.
Sergeant Travis Mattern was struck by Jack Gordon Feather and then Patricia Ann Feather, both of whom were booked into the Cochise County jail on charges of aggravated assault of a peace officer. Jack Feather, 65, is also charged with extreme DUI and felony resisting arrest.
According to Marshal Bob Randall, Mattern responded to the area of Third and East Allen Streets shortly before 4 p.m. for a report of an assault involving a man and woman. They appeared intoxicated, said the caller, who described the parties to a dispatcher.
Mattern was unable to locate either party in the immediate area so he began to drive down nearby streets. It was then that the sergeant says he witnessed a pickup truck fail to comply with a stop sign. The driver then turned the truck in front of Mattern’s patrol car, allowing him to observe the occupants, who matched the description given in the assault call.
While Mattern positioned his vehicle to initiate a traffic stop, he observed the truck roll-through another stop sign. The truck then pulled over, Randall told Arizona Daily Independent on Monday.
“After asking the driver multiple times for his license and registration with refusals each time, Sergeant Mattern ordered the driver out of the car,” Randall said. “The driver remained defiant and refused to exit. Meanwhile, the passenger, later identified as Patricia Feather, age 64, opened the passenger door and fell out onto the ground.”
Mattern attended to the passenger to ensure she wasn’t hurt. He then returned his attention to the driver who still refused to exit the truck.
“After multiple refusals, Sergeant Mattern attempted to physically remove Mr. Feather from the vehicle, only to be met with physical resistance,” Randall said.
Once Jack Feather was pulled out of the vehicle he struck Mattern in the face with a fist. Then, as the sergeant wrestled with the driver, Patricia Feather moved to the driver’s side and also struck Mattern in the face, according to Randall.
When Mattern pushed the woman away, her husband lunged at Mattern, who responded by deploying his Taser.
“Jack Feather continued to resist and fight with Sergeant Mattern even though he had been tased once,” Randall said. “Therefore, he was tased again until he came into compliance with the sergeant’s directives.”
Randall commended his deputy’s ability to resolve the incident with the “highly intoxicated” couple without further use of force or serious injury. The marshal was also relieved his deputy was released from the hospital Sunday evening.
“Although both side of Sergeant Mattern’s face were swollen, there did not appear to be any fractures or displacements,” said Randall.
Also contributing to Randall’s relief is that a dog in Feather’s truck bit at Mattern. Fortunately, the teeth only caught the sergeant’s pant leg.
Patricia Feather left the scene on foot with the dog. U.S. Border Patrol agents and deputies with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office later went to the Feather residence to take her into custody, but not before she posted on social media about the incident. She also posted that at one point, authorities threatened to shoot the dog.
Both defendants had initial court appearances at the Bisbee Justice Court. Court records show Jack Feather has a DUI case from February 2019 pending in the Tombstone Magistrate Court.