FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska man suspected of biting off part of the nose of a friend has been charged with felony assault.
Zachary Atchley, 27, of Fairbanks, was arrested Tuesday, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. He is represented by the Alaska Public Defender Agency, which as a policy does not comment on pending cases. Public defender Justin Racette said by email Thursday that public defenders had no comment.
The injured man told Alaska State Troopers that he went to see Atchley and another man at about 3 a.m. Tuesday. They gathered at Atchley’s camper west of Fairbanks and began drinking hard liquor.
Atchley, the man said, approached and bit him. The man tried to leave to get medical help but Atchley took the man’s coat, told him to sit and prevented him from leaving for about an hour, a criminal complaint said. Atchley also punched him in the head and neck about 10 times, the man said.
Troopers shortly after 7:30 a.m. took a 911 call from the man at the intersection of two rural roads. He had blood running from his nose and mouth and tears streaming down his face, the criminal complaint said. An ambulance transported the man to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Part of the man’s left nostril and the tip of his nose was missing.
Troopers contacted Atchley and the other man at the camper. Atchley initially denied any physical altercation, troopers said, but later acknowledged biting the injured man to make him back up.
Troopers observed blood on Atchley’s T-shirt and right knuckles, troopers said.
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