Coos County Deputy Assaulted and Bitten While Arresting Woman Accused of Trespassing

By Lucille McNamara On Mar 31, 2026

COOS COUNTY, Ore. — A Coos County Sheriff’s Office deputy was assaulted during an altercation with a woman who refused to leave a property on which she had built a campfire and was trespassing.

The incident occurred after 8 p.m. last Friday at a property on Wygant Road, south of Coos Bay, when the deputy attempted to arrest the woman for trespassing.

He was Knee-Butted in the Groin

The deputy was hit in the groin by a knee, head-butted, bitten, scratched, and struck several times in the face during an altercation that lasted five minutes.

The confrontation ended with the arrival of a second deputy who assisted with the arrest of 28-year-old Kinsey R. Smith.

Ms. Smith was lodged at the Coos County Jail on charges of second-degree criminal trespass, assault of a public safety officer, and resisting arrest.

Tidings Insight

In Oregon, resisting arrest is separate from assaulting a public safety officer. One covers fighting the arrest itself. The other covers causing injury to a known officer on duty.

By Lucille McNamara | Covers public safety, courts and Oregon policy

Coos County Southern Oregon