Lake Hamilton police Officer Benjamin Wright, 32, and Jessica Powell, 23, were both booked into the Polk County Jail following their arrests by the Lake Wales Police Department.

LAKE HAMILTON — A Lake Hamilton police officer and his fiancée were arrested on charges of domestic battery Monday after an argument erupted because he had been texting another woman, according to authorities.

Benjamin Wright, 32, and Jessica Powell, 23, were both booked into the Polk County Jail following their arrests by the Lake Wales Police Department. Wright also faces a felony aggravated battery charge because authorities say he knew Powell was pregnant when he battered her, according to his arrest affidavit.

Powell told police she and Wright were arguing when he threw her on a bed in the home they shared, held her down and had his knee on her stomach. Officers reported seeing red marks on her forearms. Wright told police that during the argument Powell was hitting him in the head, and that is when he put her down on the bed, according to reports. Officers also reported seeing Wright's left ear red from where he said he was slapped.

Since a primary aggressor couldn't be determined, both Wright and Powell were arrested, according to LWPD reports.

The story each told the police was slightly different from the other:

According to Wright's arrest affidavit, Powell told police she woke up her fiancé to ask him about talking to another woman. When the two began arguing about him cheating, she said, he slammed the door.

Powell told officers that when she and Wright were in the bedroom, Wright told her if she didn't leave him alone he would kill her. Wright allegedly began grabbing and pushing her, causing her to stumble backward, the LWPD reported. At that point, Powell told police, she punched him in the face.

Powell added in the arrest affidavit that she felt a pressure on her stomach and told Wright she was carrying his child and that he needed to stop. When he let her up, Powell called 911.

When Wright spoke to police, he said that around 4:30 a.m. Powell woke him up because she was upset he had been texting another woman. Wright said that he got up and left the bedroom and slammed the door — causing the frame to splinter. When Wright returned to the room, according to the police department, he began telling her that the woman he was texting was a friend. Wright said Powell became upset and punched him on the left side of his head — striking his ear — and also struck his upper body.

Wright told police he later grabbed Powell and placed her on her back on the bed, telling her to calm down.

Wright told officers that when he went to leave, Powell called 911. But Wright denied putting his knee on her stomach, according to police reports.

Because Wright is a police officer with Lake Hamilton Police Department, he has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal investigation by the LWPD and the State Attorney's Office, according to Police Chief Michael Teague.

Teague said after the criminal investigation, the department also will conduct an internal inquiry.

Wright has been with Lake Hamilton Police Department since December, and he is paid $38,000 a year, Teague said. Prior to that, Wright worked at Polk County Sheriff's Office. In March 2018, Wright resigned from the PCSO after he was found sleeping in his cruiser while on patrol at McKeel Academy of Technology.

Kathy Leigh Berkowitz can be reached at kberkowitz@theledger.com or at 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @kberkowitzthel1.