Eugene Police Department (EPD) officers arrested a man after responding to reports of a fight outside of White Bird Clinic-Crisis Service Center on 12th Avenue and Mill Street at around 8:15 p.m. on Friday. Officers took Michael Sandlin into custody for public intoxication after he had become enraged by unidentified individuals in the West University campus area.
Bridgette Baird, who was with Sandlin at the time, claims her friend was provoked after being spit on by a group from an apartment complex’s balcony neighboring the White Bird center, where both she and Sandlin were staying. Police could not identify what sparked the disturbance, but cited alcohol as the main culprit for Sandlin’s arrest. “He just needs some time to calm down,” EPD Patrol Officer Carissa Hartmann said .
Baird, who referred to Sandlin as “The Mad Hatter,” and claimed he suffered from occasional psychotic episodes believed his arrest occurred for different reasons, “He went to jail because he was homeless.”