Monetta man charged after assaulting officer twice

Tony Dorn

Ridge Spring's lone full-time officer is recovering from an assault that landed him in the hands of EMS crews last week and landed the alleged assailant in jail.

Officer Gerald Taylor said he has two broken fingers, a sprained wrist, two black eyes and a number of bumps and bruises from an assault that occurred on New Year's Eve.

Tony Wallace Dorn, 39, of Monetta, is charged with two counts of felony resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

A state law enforcement background check shows Dorn has an arrest record dating back more than two decades.

He has been charged with multiple assault and weapons charges, including previous assaults on police officers.

On Dec. 31, the suspect reportedly assaulted Taylor while the officer was sitting in his marked patrol car in the parking lot of Orchard Park Apartments.

Taylor said he was monitoring the neighborhood and saw Dorn talking with another man but didn't approach the two.

Dorn then walked up to Taylor's patrol car and began to yell at him, telling him to leave.

Taylor said he got out of the car and told the suspect to calm down.

After repeated attempts to convince Dorn to calm down and take his hands out of his pockets, Taylor said the suspect turned on him and began to punch him.

The officer fell to the pavement, and Dorn reportedly ran.

The Saluda County Bloodhound Team was notified of the assault and began to look for the suspect to no avail.

A few hours later, Taylor said he was back on patrol in his police vehicle and saw the suspect walking on private property, not far from the apartment complex where the first assault occurred, and approached the man.

When Taylor told the suspect he was under arrest, he began to fight with the officer again, Taylor said.

The officer attempted to taze Dorn but said he missed Dorn in the scuffle.

As Taylor tried to handcuff the man, Dorn reportedly punched Taylor again, pushing him to the ground.

"While I was on the ground, I held up my left hand to protect myself," Taylor said.

The officer said he held his left hand in front of his head and his right hand on his gun, attempting to keep the assailant from getting to the duty weapon.

In the midst of the assault, Taylor said a neighbor came outside surrounded by dogs and carrying a shot gun, which scared the suspect away.

Taylor was treated for his injuries.

Dorn was spotted walking in the vicinity in Aiken County, where an Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputy detained the man.

He is being held at the Saluda County jail.

His bond was at $50,000.