POCATELLO — A local man had his nose bitten off during a fight outside a Pocatello bar early Sunday morning, police said.
The incident began to unfold around 1:10 a.m. Sunday during a birthday party celebration at the Odyssey Bar at 250 E. Center St. and ended with Brandon R. Dalley, 38, of Pocatello, having his nose bitten off, police said.
The altercation began when Dalley and another man, Dereck L. Otero, 40, also of Pocatello, got into an argument at the party inside the bar that soon turned physical and continued outside of the bar, Pocatello police said Monday.
Otero began acting disorderly inside the bar and aggressively grabbed Dalley while standing behind him, police said. After Otero grabbed Dalley, a verbal altercation ensued inside the bar and ultimately turned physical once both parties left the bar, police said.
Outside, Dalley had pinned Otero to the ground and began punching him repeatedly in the face, police said. At this point, Otero grabbed Dalley’s head and bit his nose off, police said.
Someone at the bar quickly retrieved the severed nose and put it on ice so that it could be reattached, police said.
Pocatello police and fire units responded to the Odyssey and transported Dalley via Pocatello Fire Department ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center to receive treatment for his severed nose. Otero suffered injuries to his face and head but did not require hospitalization, police said.
Police on Sunday said they cited both men for disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Both men will remain free pending the adjudication of their cases because police do not take people they cite into custody but rather order them to appear in court at a later date to answer to the charges.
On Monday, police said both men were cited for disturbing the peace because both men were equally involved in the altercation up until the point Otero bit off Dalley’s nose. Police said Otero told officers that he bit off Dalley’s nose in self defense as he was afraid for his life while he was getting punched in the face. Otero and Dalley were acquainted prior to the incident Sunday, police said.
Dalley’s wife, Jeneal Dalley, told the Idaho State Journal Monday afternoon that she disputes what police have said about the incident, claiming that her husband was never an aggressor. She claims her husband was the victim and should not have been cited for a crime.
Brandon Dalley received treatment at PMC to reattach his severed nose and was discharged around 6 a.m. Sunday. He is now at home recovering.
Jeneal said she is worried about the healing process and has fears the reattachment might not take or that it could become infected.
Dalley is due in court on April 6 and Otero is due in court on April 13, during which both men will be arraigned on the disturbing the peace charge filed against them, according to court records.
