BENTON -- Police have arrested a Benton man on a charge of assault on an officer, following an incident early Tuesday morning at 5 Charles Terrace.

Darren E. Adams, 33, will be arraigned via video today from Kennebec County Jail in Augusta, said Sheriff Randall Liberty. Adams is accused of assaulting Deputy Jesse Dudda, who was not injured, Liberty said.

Adams was being held on $500 cash bail and will not be released until after the arraignment, Liberty said.

Liberty said Adams was intoxicated when police responded to an assault call at 12:05 a.m. Adams shares the double-wide mobile home with his wife, a couple and their four children, the sheriff said.

Adams was confrontational as soon as Dudda and Deputy David Bucknam arrived, Liberty said. He became more so when the deputies ran a background check on resident Ami Irish, and arrested her on a charge of failure to pay fines, Liberty said.

"As they escorted Irish out in handcuffs, Adams became belligerent, Liberty said. "He made several aggressive movements toward (Dudda), and despite warnings, he punched Dudda in the chest."

Dudda said that Irish, who also was intoxicated, made the initial assault charge, but there was no proof. By the time they arrived, Adams' wife had left due to his intoxication, and other residents locked themselves in their bedrooms, Dudda said.

"We weren't going to have any charges on him until he assaulted me," Dudda said. "We did everything we could to avoid the confrontation."

Dudda cited Adams' condition as the reason for the incident.

"When somebody's at that level of intoxication, it's not surprising that they would do something they wouldn't normally do," Dudda said.