Two brothers remain in the county jail after one was found intoxicated lying on a Mahaley Avenue lawn without a shirt and the other tried to intervene in his arrest.
Matthew Watts Lawson, 27, of the 500 block of Hickory Drive, is charged with assault on a government official, intoxicated and disruptive, and resist, obstruct delay an officer, all are misdemeanors.
Michael Blair Lawson, 24, also of the 500 block of Hickory drive, was charged with misdemeanor resist, obstruct, delay an officer.
Someone called police early Saturday about a person lying by a tree at a home in the 600 block of Mahaley Avenue. When police arrived, the man, later identified as Matthew Lawson, had bug bites all over him from lying on the ground, was wearing one flip flop and his eye was injured.
Lawson was incoherent and began cursing at officers, a report said. Lawson’s grandmother called Matthew on his cell phone. She confirmed the shirtless man was her grandson.
The officers were on their way to return Lawson to his grandmother’s home. When the officer arrived at the home, Michael Lawson tried to intervene, the report said. The men’s grandfather tried to get Michael Lawson back into the house. Matthew Lawson kicked an officer in the groin and had to be shackled. He tried to stand up in the patrol car.
When officers got to the police station, they had to place a spit mask on Matthew Lawson because he repeatedly spit on the police department floor and he tried to bite an officer, the report said.
Matthew Lawson remained in the Rowan County Detention Center on Monday under a $3,000 secured bond, and Michael Lawson remains in the county jail under a $1,000 secured bond.
Matthew Lawson is expected in a Rowan court for driving while impaired and civil revocation of his license. Michael Lawson was convicted in 2012 of driving while license revoked, a misdemeanor.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253. Twitter: www.twitter.com/salpostpotts Facebook: www.facebook.com/Shavonne.SalisburyPost.