A Flowery Branch man faces a felony after being accused of blowing in an officer’s face during an altercation in a North Georgia state park.
David Christopher Ramzanali, 20, was charged with felony obstruction, reckless conduct and a restricted park area citation after the April 11 incident, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Ramzanali was among a group who were in a restricted area below an overlook in Tallulah Gorge State Park, according to an incident report. When confronted by a DNR officer, the man is accused of escalating the tensions.
“Then when (Ramzanali) and his party were encountered by Sgt. (Derek) Dillard for the violation, he curses at and blew in Sgt. Dillard’s face,” the report said.
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Ramzanali was released from the Rabun County jail on a $10,500 bond the day after his arrest, according to jail records.
He told Channel 2 Action News that it was a misunderstanding.
He said his group was hiking when they wandered off the trail and stumbled into the restricted area, which is when the officer approached them, Channel 2 reported. Ramzanali said the officer asked if he had been drinking.
“I blow toward his direction to show him that my breath doesn’t smell like alcohol,” he told the news station during a Wednesday phone call. “That’s when he charged at me, threw me to the ground and then put me in handcuffs.”
With social distancing in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ramzanali said he understood why the officer got upset when he blew toward his face at close proximity. He insists he meant no harm.
“I totally understand all that. I wasn’t thinking about what’s going on — on the Earth right now or anything like that,” Ramzanali said.
One DNR officer has contracted COVID-19 during the outbreak, Col. Thomas Barnard told Channel 2. That officer and others who were in close contact with the officer are under self-quarantine.
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