A 24-year-old South Lake Tahoe man with a habit of fighting with police officers when he gets drunk was sentenced Tuesday to a year in Douglas County Jail for "mule-kicking" two deputies on New Year's Eve.
"I don't go out looking for cops to hit. I have a drinking problem," Brandon Baehler, 24, told District Judge Dave Gamble.
Gamble told Baehler to "stop whining."
"You can choose to be a man, stand up, and do something about it," Gamble said.
"Instead of saying 'alcohol, alcohol, alcohol,' you might start by saying 'Brandon, Brandon, Brandon' is at fault for this. Then, maybe, you can do something about it. So far, you are zero for 100," Gamble said.
Baehler said he blacked out and couldn't remember what happened.
According to reports, Baehler was fighting with a Stateline casino security guard about 8:30 p.m. New Year's Eve when deputies intervened.
One of the deputies struck Baehler in the back in an effort to handcuff him.
As they walked Baehler to a temporary booking station, deputies said he "mule-kicked" them in an effort to knock them off balance.
When he refused to cooperate, deputies carried him to the booking station. Baehler was outfitted with a "spit hood" when he tried to expectorate in deputies faces.
The deputies were not seriously hurt.
"If you don't change, somebody is going to kill you or you're going to die," Gamble said.
According to reports, Baehler has several arrests in California for battery on officers and served two prison terms. He will be returned to California at the conclusion of his jail term on a probation violation.
