Naked Man with Knife Tased and Eventually Arrested

A naked man, threatening others with a knife, was taken into custody by Manitowoc Police on the south side Friday night, but not without a struggle. Lieutenant Jeremy Kronforst said officers were called around 9:30 to near the intersection of South 25th  and Hamilton Streets where the male was standing in the middle of the street, yelling he had a knife and that he was going to “gut” someone. When confronted by the first responding officer and asked what he was doing, the suspect said he wasn’t doing anything wrong and it “wasn’t against the law to walk around with no clothes on.” A folding knife, along with the man’s pants were found on a nearby porch that turned out to be his residence. 33 year old Travis Tingler of Manitowoc struggled with police as they attempted to have him sit in the backseat of the squad car. An officer used a taser on him with no effect, and when a second deployment of the electronic control device was attempted, one of the probes struck and punctured a lighter Tingler was holding. The resulting fire ignited his facial and chest hair, but he resisted police attempts to extinguish the flames. A 3rd taser took effect, but when EMS personnel arrived, he continued to resist and had to be sedated. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his wounds and then transported to the Manitowoc County Jail. Tingler is charged with Felony Resisting/Battery to a Police Officer, Disorderly Conduct, and Lewd and Lascivious Behavior. Tingler was reportedly under the influence of alcohol and other drugs at the time of the incident.