A Saline man who tried to intervene during his teenage son’s arrest for breaking into a vehicle is serving two years of probation, court records show.

Timothy Murphy, 43, must also complete classes for anger management and substance abuse treatment and perform 50 hours of community service for scuffling with Saline police on July 30.

He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. 

Police say Murphy arrived at the Saline Police Department with his daughter just as paramedics were loading his son into an ambulance. The 15-year-old boy repeatedly struck his head against a patrol car window after his arrest was headed to the hospital for an evaluation. 

An officer used chemical spray on Murphy and his daughter after they made physical contact with paramedics and other police, reports said. Police said Murphy appeared intoxicated, an allegation he denied after sentencing.

Murphy faced up to 93 days in jail on the misdemeanor charge after prosecutors agreed to dismiss two felony obstruction charges.

He apologized for his actions and said he hoped to use the incident to turn his life in a positive direction.

“I was wrong in the way that I acted, and my goal is to get my life on track,” Murphy said in an interview following sentencing. He said he had a hard time adjusting to life after a recent divorce and job loss that impacted his children.

His son is currently in a drug rehabilitation center while larceny and resisting arrest charges are pending for him and a 16-year-old accomplice, records show. Murphy’s daughter, now 14, pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting police and disturbing the peace. She has since moved in with her mother in Wayne County.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.