by Bailey Darrow
PUTNAM COUNTY — A
part-time Monterey Police officer was arrested in Cumberland County after a
reported domestic altercation.
Jacob Gregory Phillips, 47, of Bee Rock Road, Monterey, has
been placed on leave from the department after he was arrested and charged with
domestic assault.
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Cpl. Sean Mullikin responded to
a reported disturbance at the Phillips home late Saturday night.
“Upon arrival I located the male on the front porch bleeding
from the face and the female locked in the vehicle in the driveway,” Cpl.
Mullikin’s report states.
The female subject was identified as Phillips’ wife,
according to the report.
Jacob Phillips, who goes by the name of Greg, reportedly
stated that he and his wife had been at a party at his full-time business where
he said his wife had been drinking to the point he wanted her to go home.
“On the way, both parties got into a verbal altercation over
this matter,” the report states.
The wife claimed that Phillips hit her in the face, busting
her lip, and jerked a purse from her shoulder, the report states. She said she
hit him back in self-defense.
Phillips maintained that he did not hit his wife, but said
that she “went crazy and then all he saw were stars,” according to Cpl.
Mullikin’s report.
“Through my investigation, I determined that Mr. Phillips
was the primary aggressor,” Cpl. Mullikin wrote.
Phillips was booked into the Cumberland County jail at 12:40
a.m. on Sunday and was released on $1,000 bond around 1 p.m. that afternoon.
Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph spoke with authorities
in Cumberland about the incident Sunday morning after learning of his officer’s
involvement, he said.
Phillips has been placed on leave and his patrol car and
weapons have been collected by authorities.
“Any time there is domestic violence, you are not allowed to
have weapons in the house,” Randolph explained. “So, we made sure that we have
all of his weapons.
“Of course luckily, we still get due process and he is going
to have to be found guilty or innocent. If he is innocent, there won’t be any
actions taken. If he is found guilty, we have procedures that we have to
follow,” Randolph said.
Cumberland County authorities are handling the charges.
