A third north Alabama man was arrested in a confrontation in which much of an ear of a Morgan County sheriff’s deputy was bitten off earlier this month, authorities said.

Joshua Martin Link, 35 of Baileyton was arrested Wednesday on a felony assault charge, WAFF-TV reported. Two relatives from the same town, Marty Alan Link, 57, and Justin Lee Link, 32, were previously charged with obstructing government operations.

The three men were at a residence on Dec. 14 when authorities were called about someone threatening suicide, according to court records. Marty Link and Justin Link allegedly obstructed officers as they tried to restrain Joshua Link, records show.

Most of a deputy’s ear was bitten off during the struggle, officials said.

“The individual latched on to our deputy’s ear and ultimately biting a good portion of it off. From there they were able to subdue him and he ultimately did end up going for the psych eval and going to the hospital,” said Mike Swafford, a spokesman with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputy was taken to a hospital in Huntsville and needs surgery to reconstruct his ear, Swafford said.

Court records weren’t available to show whether Joshua Link has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf, and neither of the other men has an attorney, according to documents.