Cop arrested, charged with
domestic assaultCop arrested, charged with domestic
By KARA
COLEMAN
Columbia police officers arrested a Spring Hill officer
as he went in to work Friday morning, Columbia Lt. Joey Gideon said.Eric
Pinkerton was arrested and charged with domestic assault after he allegedly
assaulted his wife in their Columbia apartment and restricted her from leaving
the house immediately after the incident, Gideon said.The alleged incident
occurred on Aug. 31, Gideon said. He said the Spring Hill Police Department
contacted CPD’s Special Victims Unit on Sept. 9. Because the alleged incident
occurred in Columbia, CPD is handling the ongoing investigation.“Spring Hill
took the initiative to make the report,” Gideon said. “They have cooperated and
assisted 100 percent.”Pinkerton was arrested by CPD and SHPD Friday morning at
SHPD headquarters, SHPD Lt. Justin Whitwell said. Gideon said Pinkerton was
arrested without incident.Whitwell said that after Pinkerton was taken into
custody, he was notified that his job with the police department was being
terminated.Pinkerton has a history of domestic violence, both Gideon and
Whitwell said.
He was arrested by CPD in January and charged with domestic
assault. “It went through the judicial process,” Whitwell said. “His case had
been retired upon good behavior for 11 months and 29 days. It’s up to the
district attorney whether to bring this up with the pending charges he has
now.”Good behavior during the 11-month, 29-day period would have allowed
Pinkerton’s record at the courthouse to be dismissed, Whitwell said.Gideon said
the January charges were retired at the request of the victim, Pinkerton’s
wife.Pinkerton had been employed by SHPD since Oct. 27, 2008, according to a
press release issued by SHPD.“There’s not an officer out there who wants to
arrest another officer,” Gideon said Friday. “But we have as much of a
responsibility, if not more of a responsibility, to maintain law and order in
our own families.”
