Howard is a skinny cop. Early in his career, the shift supervisor claims he gave him two bricks to put in his pockets so he wouldn’t blow away.

But to Howard’s credit, he’s never lost a prisoner. That includes Charles in Honeyland Estates who broke bad during a domestic disturbance. So bad is this guy that deputies call him "Bad Charles."

Neighbors called 911 after they heard screaming in the Charles’ trailer. When Howard gets there Charles has not laid a finger on his live-in girlfriend. But he’s upset because "some busy-body called the law." Charles starts cussing and throwing furniture. Deputy Howard has to duck a couple of times to avoid injury.

Charles is arrested for disorderly conduct. Of course, arresting Bad Charles and placing him in custody are two entirely different things.

Picture Deputy Howard (5-foot, 10-inches tall and 165 pounds) handcuffing Bad Charles (6-foot, 3-inches tall and 265 pounds), especially if Charles does not want to be arrested.

But Howard manages to handcuff Charles’ hands behind his back just like the policy manual says. Next, Howard puts his prisoner in the back of the patrol car and shuts the door. So far things are fairly serene — as serene as an arrest can ever be. But the serenity ends seconds later when Bad Charles kicks the patrol car’s side window out with his sock feet and dives through the broken car window head first. His hands are now cuffed in front.

Before Deputy Howard can react, Charles scrambles up a sweetgum tree and perches on a limb eight feet up. There he sits in sock feet and bare chest, cussing a blue streak.

Moments later, pondering his next move, Charles nose-dives out of the tree, narrowly missing Howard. His impact on the hard clay takes the fight out of Bad Charles. Now he’s just plain Charles.

On the half hour ride to the county jail, Charles complains about the blast of cold air coming in through the window he’d kicked out.

Howard smiles: "It’s February, Charles, it’s supposed to be cold in February."