By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A 19-year-old Pelham man is facing multiple felonies and up to 20 years in prison after he allegedly assaulted an officer who was arresting him on drug-dealing charges.

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force arrested Austin Nicholas Kummerlowe, who lists an address on Huntley Apartment Drive in Pelham, on May 11 and charged him with two felony counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, one felony count of second-degree assault, one felony count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor counts of second-degree unlawful possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kummerlowe currently is being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $91,000, which is higher than normal for the charges at the request of the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the DA’s office, Kummerlowe allegedly became combative with Task Force officers who were arresting him in Alabaster on May 11.

The officer was attempting to arrest the suspect on multiple past drug charges when Kummerlowe “forcibly resisted law enforcement officers’ efforts to take him into custody,” and repeatedly struck one of the officers by “intentionally kneeing him in the groin.”

“Due to the violent nature of the defendant’s actions during a lawful arrest, the state of Alabama requests defendant’s (unlawful distribution of a controlled substance) bonds be amended to $30,000 each and his resisting arrest be amended to $3,000,” read the DA’s office request.

According to Kummerlowe’s arrest warrants, he allegedly distributed marijuana on Treymoor Drive in Alabaster on July 29, 2015, and on Aug. 26, 2015, and allegedly possessed the controlled substance Vyvanse on Aug. 28, 2015.

When he was arrested, he allegedly possessed marijuana for “other than personal use,” according to his warrants.

As of May 16, Kummerlowe was still being held in the Shelby County Jail. He did not yet have a future court date listed.