Jacksonville Man Found Guilty of Battery on a Security Officer

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces today that Bernard Jarnell Pulliam, 37, of Jacksonville, was found guilty by a jury of Battery on a Licensed Security Officer and sentenced to four months in Duval County Jail.

On August 8, 2017, Pulliam was walking through Washington Heights apartment complex with an open container of alcohol. The complex was on lockdown due to a shooting the day before, which prompted heightened security. Pulliam ignored security officers’ requests to throw away the alcohol, yelled expletives and began to walk away. When the victim, a security officer, grabbed Pulliam’s backpack to keep him from walking away, Pulliam turned around and punched the victim in the chest multiple times. A struggle ensued, and the officer was forced to pepper spray Pulliam.

The case was investigated by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Gillian Felix and Robert Culpepper.