Douglas woman indicted after allegedly biting a man's lip off following dispute over a to go order

Zarayanta WhitfieldPhoto byCCSO

A 23-year-old has been indicted on an aggravated battery charge after allegedly "biting a man’s top lip off" following another local incident that reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a to go order at a local restaurant.

According to documents filed in the Superior Court of Coffee County, a grand jury indicted Whitfield on the charge last month. The indictment states that Whitfield "maliciously caused bodily harm to the victim by seriously disfiguring his lip by biting."

Whitfield was arrested on the charge earlier this year. In a Douglas Police Department incident report, an officer stated that on February 17, around 11:00 p.m., she was dispatched to a residence on Juanita Street after a complaint was made about the incident.

When the officer arrived at the residence, she made contact with the suspect, Zarayanta Whitfield, who she said was leaning against her vehicle parked in front of the home. The officer then made contact with a witness who allegedly separated Whitfield and the victim, a 32-year-old male.

The witness reported that Whitfield "bit the victim’s lip off."

Whitfield told the officer that the victim "put his hands on her," leading her to defend herself. The officer noted that she observed "a few" visible red marks on Whitfield’s face, "but no traumatic injuries were observed." However, photos of Whitfield’s face were taken for evidence.

According to the report, the victim walked out of the residence holding a bloody towel over his mouth and had a wife-beater shirt on, which was ripped in half. The officer noticed the victim’s ripped shirt "was consistent with the witness's side of the story."

When the officer asked the victim what happened, he uncovered his mouth, and the officer said she observed his "bloody top lip ripped off with a part of it still hanging, along with a gash to the right side of his head."

The victim "couldn’t speak clearly," so 911 was advised to send EMS to the location "due to the nature of his injury."

According to the officer, the victim told her that he, Whitfield, and his sister were at El 1800, and he told Whitfield he was "going to pay for everyone’s tab, except the to-go order she had placed." He stated that Whitfield "became upset" and began arguing with him, so he ended up riding back to the residence with his sister.

When they returned to the residence, the victim stated he realized Whitfield had followed them home and started "becoming irate." He said she tried to go inside his home to grab her belongings, but he wouldn't let her because he "did not want her to destroy or break his property."

The victim also reported that he kept telling Whitfield that he would get her stuff from inside, but that she was not allowed inside the home. Whitfield then allegedly "forcefully" tried to go inside, so he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall so she would stop. However, this led to them getting into a tussle," and "things got out of hand."

According to the victim, Whitefield then bit his lip and would not let go, so the witness "had to break her off of him." The report also noted that the witness claimed Whitfield threatened to shoot the victim. However, the victim said she never made a threat toward him.

Another witness at the home who said he was present during the dispute also stated that Whitfield "bit his [the victim's] lip off." The officer said in her report that Whitfield was advised that because she was the "primary aggressor," she was being arrested for aggravated battery.

Whitfield, according to the report, told the officer she never threatened to shoot the victim but admitted to having a 9-mm pistol in her purse. She then consented to a vehicle search, with the officer locating the gun inside Whitfield’s purse. The firearm was run through 911 with Whitfield’s consent, showing no record.

The victim was transported to Coffee Regional Medical Center by EMS, and Whitfield’s vehicle was turned over to her sister.

According to the officer, there was insufficient evidence to charge Whitfield with for the alleged threat against the victim. However, she was charged with one count of aggravated battery.

Whitfield was released on bond from the Coffee County Jail the following day.

All information was obtained through a Douglas Police Department incident report and documents filed in the Superior Court of Coffee County.