Davidson County Sheriff's deputy charged with assault, burglary following dispute

A Davidson County Sheriff's deputy charged with aggravated assault, burglary and vandalism following an alleged domestic altercation has been placed on administrative leave, department officials said Sunday.

The incident, court documents say, took place early Saturday morning, while Donald Dixon, 38, was armed and on duty.

According to a Davidson County Court affidavit, the dispute started when Dixon forced his way into his estranged wife’s home early Saturday morning, where he allegedly confronted her and her current boyfriend — at one point, putting his hand on the gun holstered at his right hip.

The document says that Dixon and the boyfriend fought before the boyfriend was able to leave the house. Later, the deputy allegedly grabbed his wife by the throat as they continued to argue, according to the affidavit.

A Davidson County Sheriff’s Office news release said that Dixon is a 13-year veteran of the department who primarily works in its Armed Services Division, which is responsible for transporting inmates to and from court, as well as the hospital or on special visits.

The release said that Dixon’s record includes one five-day suspension for “improper supervision of employees.”

Dixon was booked into Metro jail on Saturday morning and was released that night on a $10,000 bond after staying in jail for a required 12-hour “cooling off” period.

Department officials will continue an administrative investigation into the incident, before imposing further discipline, the news release said.

Dixon is due in court on Feb. 17.