Naked men fight in gas dispute

Police found two naked men lying in the dirt after a fight Tuesday morning after one apparently tried to steal gas from the other's truck.

An officer arrived at a home in the 4000 block of 8th Street at 4:54 a.m. on a report of an assault, but found two naked men, according to a police report. The nude resident's clothes had somehow come off during a fight with an already-naked Daniel David Mutchler, 35, of Paton, who was allegedly siphoning gas.

The resident awoke to his dog barking, alerting him that someone was outside. He went out with the dog and a family member to check on their cars. They found Mutchler standing nude in their yard by the parked cars.

Mutchler “immediately put up his closed fists in to the air and took a fighter’s stance,” the report states. Mutchler allegedly charged at the resident, punching him in the face. The resident tackled Mutchler to the ground and the resident's father came outside to help while the resident's brother called police.

For some reason, the resident was also completely naked from fighting with Mutchler and trying to restrain him, according to the report.

Three full plastic gas cans and a drill were found next to the cars. Police saw the gas tank of one of the parked trucks had been punctured and drained of its contents. The caps to the gas cans were found in Mutchler's car, parked a few blocks down the road.

Mutchler was arrested and charged with two counts of assault causing injury, fifth-degree criminal mischief, fifth-degree theft and trespassing. He’s being held at the Polk County Jail on a $2,900 bond.