A Grovetown suspect charged with attempting to meet a juvenile for sex tried to strangle himself Friday in the back seat of a patrol car, authorities said.
Roger O’Neal Bonnette, 47, of Portal, Ga., was being arrested by Grovetown police Friday for enticing a child for indecent purposes. He had traveled to Grovetown thinking he was meeting a minor for sex, Police Chief Jamey Kitchens said.
“Upon being taken into custody, Mr. Bonnette stated that he had had multiple shoulder surgeries and could not place his hands behind his back. As such, Mr. Bonnette’s handcuffs were placed in front of him, and he was secured with a seatbelt in the rear of the patrol car,” Chief Kitchens said. “While en route to the Columbia County Detention Center, Mr. Bonnette attempted to strangle himself with the seatbelt in the rear of the patrol car.”
Th officer stopped the car, but Bonnette bit the officer’s hand as he tried to remove the seatbelt. EMS were called to the scene to check on both the officer and Bonnette. The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment and observation. More charges are expected.
The Grovetown Police Department is a partner agency with the GBI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“We remain committed to identifying and removing individuals such as Mr. Bonnette from our streets and to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” Chief Kitchens said.
Bonnette has a history of arrests and was part of a prostitution sting in Statesboro. He has been previously charged with pandering and a probation violation in Bulloch County.
