A video has gone viral that shows police in Arkansas barging into the family home to arrest a father after he pierced his son's left ear. The viral video shows Jeremy Sherland, 45, of Tontitown scoffing and smiling as five police officers arrest him inside his home despite his wife and son protesting.
Sherland is now facing felony charges for piercing his son's ear. It is forbidden to "perform body art on a person under 16 years of age, regardless of parental consent," under Arkansas law. It is also illegal "to perform body art in any unlicensed facility." Violation of the law is a Class D felony, which Sherland is now facing.
Dodging the Police
In the video, Sherland is heard saying, "'Body art without a license!" His son, who films the encounter, yells at the police at one point: "I wanted my ears pierced!"
The commotion started during a Tontitown Police Department welfare check after a Springdale High School resource officer reported a boy telling classmates his drunk father "put him in a choke hold and shoved the piercing in his ear," police claimed in a statement.
Although Sherland admitted to piercing his son's ear, he refused to allow police to speak with the youngster and remained silent when pressed further.
The Washington County's prosecutor, Matt Durrett, then sent the police back with an arrest warrant.
Police then tried to arrest Sherland but he kept resisting. Sherland's then wife went over to the officers as confusion set in and demanded to know why they were in the house as well as what legal basis they had to arrest her husband.
While the officers were roughhousing Sherland, his son questioned them, "Why are you doing this?"
During the confusion, an officer informed the woman that the father is being arrested for "body art without a license," to which Sherland exaggerated her laughter and sarcastically echoes the officer, appearing perplexed by the accusations.
Officers then tried to lead the father out of his house, but Sherland put up a fight and had to be shoved out the front door by police.
On the Wrong Side of Law
As officers led the enraged parent along the suburban street, his wife and children followed, both in complete shock at the situation. "It takes three cops, four cops, coming into my house with no permission. No permission and busted in my front door," his wife screams at the cops as they cuff her husband and take him to the police car.
"I wanted my ears pierced," Sherland's son yells at the officers as they place his dad in the patrol car.
"Officers were met by Jeremy at the front door," police said.
"Officers asked Jeremy to step outside. Jeremy refused standing in the doorway with his hands behind the door and wall posturing himself. Officers told Jeremy he was under arrest and explained the probable cause for the arrest. Jeremy refused to comply.
"Officers then took him into custody."
No one under the age of 16 is allowed to have body art performed on them, regardless of parental agreement, according to Arkansas law. That law's violation is a Class D felony.
Sherland was not an authorized artist, so it was also forbidden for him "to perform body art in any unlicensed facility."
The father was also accused of obstructing governmental operations, endangering the welfare of a child, and refusing to submit to arrest.
Sherland spent two nights in the Washington County jail before being freed on a $1,500 bond on Saturday, according to online jail records.
