Homeless Man Faces Felonies After Punching Port Chester Officers, Resisting Arrest

A homeless man finally has a warm place to stay after punching several police officers and earning himself a bed in Westchester County Jail.

Residents at 4 Willow St. called police late Sunday and told them 38-year-old Craig Richardson was sleeping in a second-floor hallway, Lt. James Ladeairous said.

One of the building's managers told police Richardson had been crashing in the small apartment building for two weeks and didn't respond kindly when people in the building asked him to leave. When officers arrived, Richardson had retreated to an empty apartment on the building's first floor.

Richardson declined to go quietly, arguing with police until the confrontation became physical, Ladeairous said. In what police described as "a protracted struggle," Richardson allegedly punched one officer several times, leaving a bruise and a small cut on the officer's left eye. Richardson punched another officer in the forehead, and as police struggled to bring the situation under control, a third officer injured his right hand and wrist.

That officer was brought to Greenwich Hospital for evaluation and may miss shifts as a result of the injury; the other two officers were treated for minor injuries and won't be pulled from their shifts, Ladeairous said.

Richardson was charged with three counts of felony second-degree assault, one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest, and a violation for trespassing. Although New York State penal code generally grades the seriousness of assault charges on the severity of injuries or the use of weapons, attacking a police officer almost always results in a felony charge.

Richardson was arraigned and sent to Westchester County Jail pending a court appearance later this week.