A 23-year-old Poulsbo resident was arrested for assault at the Silverdale Jack in the Box Dec. 29.

At about 2:50 a.m., a male and female ran toward a patrol vehicle of a sheriff’s deputy, who was at the Jack in the Box in Silverdale, and said there was a group of drunk guys “going crazy.” They said a man in a camouflage jacket tried to start a fight and grabbed another man by the back of the neck and started choking him, according to Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office reports.

The deputy pulled his vehicle to the ordering screen call box and spoke with an employee to determine what was going on inside. The deputy identified himself as being with the sheriff’s office and the employee said, “Thank God you’re here, can you come inside and help us? We need your help!”

When the deputy entered the restaurant, he observed a man wearing camouflage with a group of males. He asked the 23-year-old man to come outside and talk to him. As the two headed outside, a 21-year-old Bremerton man shouted at the other man that he did not have to go talk to the deputy.

The deputy told the 23-year-old man in camouflage that he wanted to talk to him because other people had reported that he had choked another man. The suspect said a friend had come home from the war and they went out drinking and he was intoxicated. He said they were just “messing around” until he had an issue with a guy and grabbed him by the back of the neck because he thought the guy wanted to fight. He said the altercation was not with one of his friends but with a guy in another group seated inside the restaurant.

The 20-year-old man who was choked told the deputy that he is going to military recruit basic training and didn’t want any trouble. He explained that the 23-year-old said some things to him but he tried not to respond and sat down. The deputy observed slight red marks on the back side of the 20-year-old’s neck. He said he did not need medical attention.

The suspect’s 21-year-old friend, the only apparent sober one of the group, continued to yell at others to not talk to the deputy. He was not arrested but the deputy had him sit in the back of the patrol vehicle while he continued to talk to the suspect and employees.

The 23-year-old was arrested and booked into Kitsap County jail for fourth-degree assault.