BENTON – A Benton man has been arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery to a Peace Officer, Resisting/Obstructing a Peace Officer, and Possession of a Controlled Substance after the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received several 911 calls reporting a man walking in the middle of Illinois 34 near Steel City Road Monday.

According to Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon, callers reported that the man was refusing to move out of the roadway. Deputies were sent to the location and made contact with him. 

As the deputy approached, the man refused to follow verbal commands to exit the roadway and continued to walk toward the deputy. The man then shoved the deputy in the chest and continued to push the deputy away. As a result, the deputy was able to direct the man to the ground and eventually place him in handcuffs. 

The man, identified as 53-year-old Eric S. Sullivan of Benton, continued to resist and kick deputies.

During the search of Sullivan, incident to arrest, deputies located a plastic baggy that contained a substance that field tested positive for the presence of cocaine. 

Sullivan was taken to the Franklin County Jail and was charged with the offenses we mentioned at the beginning of this story.

The Benton Police Department and Illinois State Police assisted in the arrest.