Crime & Safety
Drunken Man Spit on Cop, Another Man in Custody, Police Say
At Bethlehem police headquarters, man charged with public drunkenness allegedly spit on a police officer and another man accused of carrying a knife into a fight, court papers say.
Bethlehem police say a teenager who was in custody for carrying a knife became the victim of a crime when another accused criminal spit on him and a police officer Thursday at police headquarters.
Tyler Deater, 19, of 1044 Crawford St., had been arrested for possession of a weapon Thursday afternoon after he allegedly threatened a man with a knife during an altercation outside the KFC on Easton Avenue.
Meanwhile, police had arrested another man, John Marcikonis Jr. for public drunkenness. Police say an intoxicated Marcikonis was seen going in and out of buildings on E. Third Street and was found by police passed out under the tail pipe of an SUV.
While in custody, Marcikonis, 37, of Upper Mount Bethel, allegedly spit on a city police officer and on Deater.
He is charged with aggravated assault and public drunkenness.
Both men were arraigned before District Judge Richard Yetter, and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of bail -- $5,000 for Marcikonis and $7,500 for Deater.
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