Citizen Staff Writer
LAW AND ORDER REPORT
SHERYL KORNMAN
skornman@tucsoncitizen.com
A Pima County deputy who authorities say grabbed his wife by the leg and dragged her down a hallway in their home with a gun in his hand Nov. 14 will get his job back.
David Slocum was fired by the Sheriff’s Department on Dec. 29, 2008, after he was arrested and charged with assault, criminal damage, unlawful imprisonment and for preventing the use of a telephone in an emergency.
Three of the charges fall under the state’s domestic violence statutes.
Slocum was “upset about the impending dissolution of his marriage” when he “began an emotional altercation with his wife, according to a press release issued by the sheriff’s department Thursday afternoon.
His wife was trying to call for help when he grabbed a telephone from her hand, according to the release.
He committed the acts while “distraught” and holding a handgun, the release states.
He also pointed the gun at himself, threatening to kill himself. During the incident, he fired the gun into the floor of his home.
Slocum appealed his dismissal to the Pima County Law Enforcement Merit System Council.
A hearing by the council began in January and continued on Feb. 10, 11 and 12.
On Thursday the council decided to overturn Slocum’s dismissal and suspend him for 30 working days.
Slocum’s criminal case is pending.
Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said he will reinstate Slocum “once notification of the council’s decision is received.”
The November incident is being investigated by the Arizona Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Board.
Deputy accused of assaulting wife to get job back