Valparaiso man accused of punching Porter County cop

A Valparaiso man is charged with allegedly punching in the face a Porter County Sheriff ’s Deputy who was arresting him Monday, records show.

Christopher D. Delgado, 37, was charged Tuesday with battery on a public safety official, a level 5 felony, and two misdemeanors of resisting law enforcement and false informing.

At the time, he had a Porter County warrant for auto theft, records show.

The patrol officer wrote he had some swelling above his right eye, according to the report. Delgado gave a fake name and social security number, he said.

The arrest happened around 4:15 p.m. on Swanson Road in Portage. Delgado was walking north when the patrol officer recognized him from past arrests and knew about his car theft warrant.

After providing false information, he became “combative”, taking a “fighting stance” when told he couldn’t leave.

“What are you going to do about it,” Delgado responded.

When the officer grabbed the man’s right arm, Delgado punched the officer a couple times before a bystander jumped in and put the man in a “neck restraint,” the report states.

The man is in custody at the Porter County Jail.

Porter County Sheriff Public Information Officer Cpl. Benjamin McFalls praised the “courageous” man who stepped into help, adding he would be later honored by the department.

“Putting his own safety aside, he ran into harm’s way, assisting (the officer) in taking the felon into custody,” he wrote in a release. “(He) willingly jumped into the fight, in which our officer was being violently attacked.”