[SC] Officer and Beatrice Johnson both wounded, both charged

...Deputies at the scene could not determine a primary aggressor... until the cases have been adjudicated in court, both are presumed to be innocent...

ODPS OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
By Richard Walker
Thursday, January 22, 2009
[Excerpts] Bond was set Wednesday on an Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officer and his wife after both were charged with domestic violence. ODPS Public Safety Officer Darnell Johnson, 25, and his wife, 24-year-old Beatrice Johnson... were charged with first-offense criminal domestic violence, a misdemeanor. PSO Johnson has been employed by ODPS for two years. "This officer has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation of the Office of Professional Compliance here at the Department of Public Safety," ODPS Capt. Mike Adams said. "This (criminal) investigation is being handled by the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office." Orangeburg County Magistrate Don West set a $2,500 personal recognizance bond on both Johnson and his wife Wednesday... Deputies said they arrived to find a man with scratches on his arms and a woman with carpet burns on both arms. The man said he and his wife were having an argument about their children when she pushed him into a wall. He said she then began, "swinging out of control, her arms striking him numerous times all over his body," according to the report. The man said when he grabbed the woman in an effort to restrain her, she head-butted him in his eye. He said when she slammed her head into his again, he called the Sheriff's Office, the report said. The woman told investigators the man pushed her after the argument, the report said. When she attempted to leave the residence, he blocked the door, she said. She said she tried to slide past him, but he grabbed her from behind and tried to push her out of the door, the report said. She said as the man tried to force her out, she dropped to the floor and he then grabbed her legs and attempted to drag her out of the residence, the report said. Deputies at the scene could not determine a primary aggressor, so both were taken to jail. Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said until the cases have been adjudicated in court, both are presumed to be innocent. "In the meantime, I pray they resolve their differences," he said. T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516. [Full article here]

UPDATE:

CDV CHARGE AGAINST ODPS OFFICER DISMISSED
The Times and Democrat
By Richard Walker
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1:00 am
A charge of domestic violence against an Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officer has been dismissed, making him eligible to return to work, officials say. In a bench trial Friday, Darnell Johnson, 25, made a motion to dismiss a charge of criminal domestic violence. Orangeburg County Chief Magistrate Sam Daily dismissed the charge... The case against 24-year-old Beatrice Johnson has also been dismissed... ODPS Chief Wendell Davis said the court's finding does not automatically put Johnson, a two-year veteran, back on the street. An internal investigation is ongoing that will be completed before Johnson is eligible to perform police duties... [Full article here]
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