Norman Philips faces felony charges after getting drunk at ballgame

A Medford car dealer will appear in court next month to face felony assault charges for allegedly throwing his feces at two Jackson County corrections deputies during a drunken fit Friday night in the Jackson County Jail.

Norman Kenneth Philips, 50, defecated in the jail’s shower then hurled his feces at two corrections deputies, striking one in the uniform and the other in the face, arms and hands, Capt. Ed Mayer said.

Hurling any bodily fluids at a corrections deputy constitutes third-degree assault under Oregon law, Mayer said.

Philips, who owns World Famous Autos in Medford, on Monday denied throwing feces at the deputies as well as resisting arrest, and claimed that officers beat him to a point where he lost bowel control.

"(Police) made it sound like I was a monkey in a zoo," Philips said.

"I’m already embarrassed to tears and I don’t know what to do," he said.

The case began Friday evening at Spiegelberg Stadium, where fans watching the North Medford-South Medford football game complained that Philips was intoxicated and causing a disturbance, Medford police said.

Medford police removed him from the stands and took him to the county’s detoxification unit on North Front Street because his level of drunkenness posed a danger to himself, Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said.

While at the unit, Philips yelled and poked at Medford police Officer Ben Lytle before using his open palm to strike Lytle in the shoulder, Moran said.

"Up to that point, he was just going to be held for his own protection," Moran said.

After Lytle and another officer subdued Philips, he was taken into custody on charges of resisting arrest and harassment, then driven to the jail, Moran said.

While in the jail’s clothing-exchange room, where inmates strip off their street clothes and are given jail clothing, Philips defecated on the floor, deputies said. When Philips refused to shower, he was placed in the jail’s detoxification unit, deputies said.

He later was taken into the shower in the clothing-exchange room where police said the assault occurred.

Philips, however, said he was beaten at the detox center and came to the jail a bloody mess. He said he refused to shower because he wanted his jail picture to reflect his injuries.

"I was beaten to a pulp," Philips said. "Guys from Afghanistan must have been treated better than that."

Medford police were called back to the jail, where they added the felony assault charges, Mayer said.

Philips was bailed out of jail Saturday afternoon after posting $5,200 cash, jail records indicate. He was given a Dec. 3 appearance date in Jackson County Circuit court on the assault and resisting arrest charges.

The harassment charge will be handled through Medford Municipal Court, records indicate.

When Philips bailed out of jail, he also paid $40 for the soiled mattress, Mayer said.

Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail mfreeman@mailtribune.com