Jailed Tri-Cities lineman gets mental checkup

A former Tri-Cities Fever lineman may face extended mental-health treatment before dealing with two separate crimes that occurred last week at the Pasco airport and the jail.

Michael Rayfield Hodges, 25, met with a state psychologist Monday while under close guard at the Franklin County jail.

He was scheduled to appear in Franklin County Superior Court — first in the morning, then again in the afternoon — but a prosecutor told the judge that Hodges' mental condition was being evaluated.

The court was also advised there were some security concerns with bringing Hodges to court.

"In order to have a mental-status exam, he couldn't be medicated," said Prosecutor Steve Lowe. "Whether or not he needs to be medicated for court is a decision that needs to be made [by jail medical staff] when he's ready to come to court."

Hodges is charged with third-degree assault for allegedly hitting the shoulder of a federal security officer Nov. 3 as he forced his way into the secured boarding area of the Tri-Cities Airport.

He also is suspected of biting off the fingertip of a corrections officer and repeatedly punching the face of another officer. Those assaults reportedly occurred Friday morning as four corrections officers were walking Hodges from a visitation with his father back to his cell.

Hodges' investigative hold is on one count each of second- and third-degree assault.

Superior Court Judge Carrie Runge found probable cause for the hold Friday after reviewing a two-page document with details of the jail incident.

Hodges, a lineman who played parts of four seasons for the Arena Football team including eight games this year, has been in jail since his Nov. 3 arrest.

According to court documents in that case, the 6-foot, 270-pound man pushed his way past Transportation Security Administration screeners, hitting a female security officer in the process. He then ignored a Port of Pasco officer's orders to stop and was shot with a Taser.

The Taser's probes did not penetrate his sweat shirt, and Hodges started moving toward the officer while "yelling and continuing his aggressive behavior," the documents said.

Hodges, who had removed his sweat shirt, was then "dry Tased" or hit with the Taser directly on his bare chest like a stun gun. It had no obvious effect, the documents said.

Hodges ignored orders at gunpoint from a Franklin County sheriff's deputy and hit the port officer on the back of the head with his hand, court documents said. He then ran through the terminal and broke a window with his hand and shoulder before going onto the tarmac just as Horizon Air flight 2103 was getting ready to leave for Seattle, documents said.

Hodges eventually surrendered.

He was being held in isolation in the jail's medical area when his father came for a visit. Hodges is from California.

After he got upset at his father in the visitation area, four corrections officers were escorting him through the jail when he "became extremely agitated," refused to go into his cell and pushed an officer, according to court documents. Officers tried to restrain Hodges with pepper spray and a Taser but neither worked.

During the scuffle, Hodges allegedly bit off the end of Sgt. Arnold Boothe's left ring finger and shoved him against a door, where Boothe's head shattered a piece of glass, documents said.

Hodges also punched Officer Lindy Noethe three times in the face with a fist and knocked her down, documents said.

Boothe told sheriff's Detective Jason Nunez that "Hodges would not comply with commands to stop resisting and continuously fought with guards until restraints were forced onto him."

The other two officers escorting Hodges were not hurt. It took about seven officers to subdue him, including jail Capt. Rick Long who reportedly shocked Hodges numerous times with a Taser with no results.

Nunez investigated the assault for the Sheriff's Office and wrote the affidavit for the court.

He said after meeting with Booth and Noethe at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, he visited Hodges in the jail. Hodges was still restrained and could be heard screaming at corrections officers before the interview, the document said.

"Hodges was obviously still very agitated, appeared confused and was having difficulty remembering details of the incident so I did not get a thorough statement from him," Nunez said.

Prosecutors and jail staff had sought a mental examination of Hodges before Friday but had little success because of no bed space at Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake.

So Monday, a state psychologist came to the jail to complete the evaluation. The results were not yet known.

Hodges is scheduled to return to court this afternoon on the jail case, and Nov. 18 on the airport case.