MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A patrol deputy is facing a felony battery charge after his employer, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, responded to a call reporting domestic violence between a man and a woman.
The sheriff's office said when deputies arrived at the scene just before 8 p.m. Thursday, they discovered 31-year-old Timothy Downey Jr. was involved in an incident with a woman he has had an "off-and-on relationship" with.
During the investigation, officials discovered Downey "put his hands on the female victim, after she asked him not to."
The agency did not share any other details on the actual event that prompted the battery charge. Florida statute defines felony battery as when a perpetrator "intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other."
Officials said Downey was hired in July 2018 and was assigned to the patrol division of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
An internal investigation was opened by the sheriff's office and the criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing.