East Ridge Police officer Joseph Hawks placed on leave after affidavit says he smashed wife's head into mirror
November 14, 2025
[EXCERPTS] HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — An East Ridge police officer is on unpaid leave after an affidavit says he smashed his wife's head into mirror... The wife told deputies Hawks then dragged her into the bathroom where Hawks slammed her face into the bathroom mirror two times. The affidavit says Hawks did not break the mirror. However, his actions injured the wife's nose which bled significantly.... The wife told deputies that when she followed Hawks into the garage he had a gun to his head. The wife said that she was able to talk Hawks into coming back inside... Detectives observed injuries to the wife's face, including swelling in the nose and eyes, bruising around the eyes and lacerations across her nose. The wife told deputies Hawks had frequent outburst that led to him getting physical or breaking things around their home. Hawks was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated domestic violence. East Ridge Police Chief Clint Uselton says the department was made aware of the incident involving Detective Hawks and he was immediately placed on leave without pay.
"In adherence to established protocol, any internal administrative investigation will be conducted secondary to the criminal proceedings being handled by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s office. As such, and out of respect for the on going criminal investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff, no further information is available at this time," Chief Uselton says. [LINK]
