Tooele man arrested, accused of biting off part of teen’s ear

TOOELE, Utah — A man who allegedly thought a teenage boy was being disrespectful to his mother has been arrested and accused of partially biting off the boy’s ear.

The 43-year-old man was booked into the Tooele County Jail on Monday for investigation of causing mayhem.

Tooele police were called Monday night to a home near 500 North and 500 West where a mother, her 15-year-old son, and the mother’s boyfriend live. Officers arrived to find a “bloody male” and asked him what had happened, according to a police booking affidavit.

“He advised that he got into a physical altercation with his mom’s boyfriend … and that (the boyfriend) bit some of his ear off. I then talked to (the boyfriend), who advised that he punched the juvenile male and then bit his ear when they both ended up on the ground during the fight,” the affidavit states.

Tooele police say about a half-inch of flesh was torn from one of the boy’s ears near his lobe, but the ear lobe was not completely detached. The boy was taken to a local hospital to have the partially detached ear sewn up. Police say the boyfriend assaulted the boy after he was apparently being disrespectful to his mother.