WELLS - An Arizona man was arrested Monday, accused of resisting officers and trying to steal a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper's vehicle.

Nikolay Bondarenko, 41, of Kingman, Ariz., was arrested on U.S. 93 by an Elko County sheriff's deputy on charges of failure to maintain travel lane, driving under the influence, escape, grand theft auto, resisting a public officer, battery upon an officer and propelling bodily fluid. His bail was set at $34,098.

Elko County sheriff's deputy Pete Turner was called to Donna's Ranch Monday at 7:28 p.m. to deal with a man who had been verbally abusive and had broken a glass of beer on the counter.

As Turner arrived at the Hacienda Ranch Road he was told the man had left Donna's Ranch and was driving towards U.S. 93 in a blue commercial vehicle.

Turner found the vehicle and stopped it on U.S. 93, north of Sixth Street, after it swerved in the road. Turner had Bondarenko perform field sobriety tests, which he failed, and arrested him for driving under the influence.

Turner put nylon cuffs around Bondarenko's wrists because he couldn't place regular cuffs on the man, and placed Bondarenko in his patrol unit.

"I then went to assist trooper Naylor with the duty tow, while doing so I happened to look back towards my patrol unit and observed a subject getting into the trooper's vehicle," Turner said in his report. "It was Bondarenko. He then placed the NHP vehicle into reverse and then came towards myself and the trooper. At this point we drew our duty weapons and yelled at Bondarenko to stop and he did."

Turner removed Bondarenko from the trooper's cruiser and placed him in regular handcuffs.

While taking him to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital for a blood draw, Bondarenko kicked the inside of Turner's patrol car.

Elko County Sheriff's Sgt. Dale Lotspeich arrived and Bondarenko was still combative. Bondarenko was sprayed with pepper spray to control him. Bondarenko also kicked Elko County sheriff's deputy Dave Winstead in the leg and spit on Winstead's face.

Physical force was used to secure and control Bondarenko at the hospital.

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