Kentucky Fight Ends With Man Biting Off Part Of Victim's Face

An early morning dispute between two Kentucky men ended with one man getting a chunk of his face bitten off.

Stefan R. Batts, 32, attacked a man who was looking to help him outside Batts' home in Elizabethtown at 1 a.m. Tuesday, local media reported. The unidentified man "had a significant piece of flesh missing from the left side of his face near his eye with (the) cheekbone exposed," according to Elizabethtown police. He was taken to a local hospital.

Police responded to a call about a domestic dispute to find Batt, who was missing a front tooth, and the victim with “bloody faces.”

According to the victim, Batts looked visibly drunk outside the parking lot of the apartment complex, which led the victim to try to walk Batts back inside. Batts “began to attack the victim,” which is where the fateful bite occurred. The punch happened after that, in an act of self-defense, according to the bite victim.

In his comments to police, Batts said the victim came to his doorstep with his wife and asked to come inside. Batts refused and pushed the victim, which led to the victim punching Batts and knocking out his tooth. Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman John Thomas indicated authorities trust the victim's testimony.

“It appears that the victim was simply trying to do the neighborly thing when he was inexplicably attacked,” Thomas said. "Batts made the bizarre claim that the victim and his wife had tried to force their way into his residence and that he was acting in self-defense, all evidence to the contrary."

Batts was charged with second-degree assault, which carries a potential sentence between five and 10 years, according to Kentucky state law. In November, Batts was cited for "third-degree terroristic threatening."

There was another reported incident this year of a fight resulting in face biting. In August, Hassaan Hamann of Albany, New York, was charged with felony assault after allegedly knocking a man down and biting his face. Hamann, 24, left the unidentified victim with "serious injuries" to his face.