By Jeff Devine
A police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after being arrested on misdemeanor domestic violence charges earlier this week.
According to the Dothan Police Department, Stewart Smith Anderson, 34, an officer with the Midland City Police Department, was arrested following an alleged domestic incident that occurred Sunday night.
Investigators allege Anderson struck a woman and caused property damage during the incident that led to his arrest. He has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence.
Houston County Jail records show Anderson was booked at approximately 10:30 p.m. on July 26 and was released the following day.
Court records available at the time of publication did not identify an attorney representing Anderson.
Midland City Police Chief Keith Gray confirmed Anderson has been placed on paid administrative leave while the criminal case proceeds. Administrative leave is a standard personnel action used by many law enforcement agencies when an officer becomes the subject of a criminal investigation or faces criminal charges. It does not, by itself, indicate guilt or innocence.
The Chronicle has reached out to Gray of the Midland City Police Department for additional information about Anderson and the department’s policies and procedures for when one of their officers is arrested for a violent crime, but no additional information has been released as of the publication of this article.
The charges filed against Anderson are misdemeanors. Under the U.S. justice system, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, Anderson could face serious penalties authorized under Alabama law. One penalty imposed by the courts in accordance with Alabama law for an individual convicted of domestic violence is that the individual no longer has the right to own or carry a firearm in Alabama.
Separately, the Midland City Police Department will determine what, if any, administrative action is appropriate after the criminal case has been resolved.
The case remains pending in the Alabama court system, and the Chronicle will provide an update once more information becomes available.
