A Casper man admitted to biting off part of another man's ear during a Friday morning fight at a bowling alley, according to police.

Jason Phillip, 34, faces an aggravated assault charge following an apparent altercation with Benjamin Ledford at El Mark-O Lanes.

A customer found half of Ledford's ear near a table and gave it to another patron, who put it in a plastic beer cup full of ice. It was taken with Ledford, a 24-year-old Casper resident, to Wyoming Medical Center, but a doctor there determined it couldn't be reattached.

Phillip told police the altercation followed an argument over music, while Ledford said the two argued "about one of them being from Wyoming and the other liking New York," according to a police affidavit.

Police received a report of the fight just before 2 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Ledford holding a bloody towel on the left side of his head, according to the affidavit, signed by Officer Scott Jones.

Customers told police they saw Ledford argue with another man outside a bar window where customers can pick up drinks. One witness recalled seeing the man tackle Ledford to the ground and put him in a head lock. When the man got up, the witness saw that part of Ledford's ear had been torn off.

A bartender tried to stop the man from leaving, but she said he pushed her away and left in a black sport utility vehicle. Police later showed her Phillip's picture and she identified him as the person who fought with Ledford.

Jones called Phillips and the two met at a gas station. Phillips told the officer Ledford struck him first and that Ledford's friends attacked him, according to Jones' affidavit. In Phillip's account to police, the two fell to the ground, where he said he put Ledford in a head lock for self defense before biting the man's ear.

Afterward, police noticed some swelling on the right side of Phillip's face.

Ledford said the argument turned physical and that he found himself on the floor, with the suspect on top of him. He insisted the argument could have been avoided.

Phillip was booked into Natrona County Detention Center early Friday and made his initial court appearance that afternoon. Prosecutors have charged him with aggravated assault. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Phillip was jailed in May after witnesses told police he had threatened people with a gun outside of the Sandbar Lounge. He denied that accusation.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.