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EDWARDSVILLE — A man was taken into custody Saturday morning after allegedly spitting in a police officer’s face in the aftermath of a bar fight.

Christopher Dermody, 33, of Kingston was arrested after officers responded to a reported fight at Swizzle Sticks Bar on Main Street.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officers from the Edwardsville and Larksville police departments were dispatched to Swizzle Sticks just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning for a reported fight in progress.

Upon arriving at the scene, police noticed a male leaning up against a vehicle. When the man noticed the officers, he began to walk away at a fast pace. He was stopped by a Larksville officer while a patrolman from Edwardsville entered the bar to sort out what had happened.

The man, identified as Dermody, smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words while shouting at officers outside the bar.

Officers tried to ask Dermody to stop yelling and get into his vehicle, but he kept screaming, saying that he “has the freedom of speech and could say whatever he wants.”

Dermody then allegedly balled his hands into fists and stepped within inches of the patrolman’s face, puffing out his chest.

The patrolman attempted to take Dermody into custody. While walking him back to a police vehicle, Dermody spit in the officer’s face as he was placed inside the squad car.

Dermody was arraigned later Saturday morning in front of Magisterial District Judge Michael G. Dotzel, where he was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault, misdemeanor counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct and summary counts of harassment and public drunkenness.

He was transported to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for failure to post $35,000 in bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 7.

Police: Kingston man spit in officer’s face after bar fight