Oregon man allegedly kicks cop unconscious at Memorial Day weekend festival

An Oregon man with an apparent dislike of cops disrupted a beloved local Memorial Day weekend festival on Friday when he allegedly kicked and knocked out a female officer.

Nathaniel Wytcherley, 53, is being held without bail at Josephine County Jail after he assaulted an unnamed officer at the weekend-long Boatnik festival in the town of Grants Pass, according to local reports.

Wytcherley was already on probation for a previous assault on a police officer in the nearby town of Roseburg, according to a Grants Pass Department of Public Safety press release.

The Grants Pass officer had attempted to detain two youths suspected of being under the influence of alcohol during the riverside festival and was struggling on the ground with one of them when Wytcherley approached and kicked her in the face, police said.

The assault caused “an immediate loss of consciousness,” according to the press release.

The officer has since recovered and returned home from the hospital, a department spokesperson told the Post.

The Boatnik festival is an enduring tradition celebrated each Memorial Day weekend since 1959 that raises money for local youth programs. The event was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and until recently organizers feared they might have to cancel it for a second year in a row.

Organizers announced just last week that they were able to save the festival this year.

source: nypost.com