A very messy divorce between a Benton County sheriff and his soon-to-be-ex-wife has led to a temporary restraining order and a protective order being filed, which means the sheriff had to surrender all his guns and weapons—even the ones he uses for work.

Jerry Hatcher was appointed to be the sheriff of Benton in May 2017, after the previous sheriff had resigned. Hatcher then had to campaign to be elected sheriff in November 2017 to serve out the previous sheriff's last year of his term. Hatcher won, and he ran unopposed in 2018 for a four-year term.

Hatcher's estranged spouse, Monica Hatcher, claims that in 2017 she suspected that Hatcher was having an affair with a woman who was managing his social media accounts during his election campaign. Shortly after he was elected, Monica claims she confronted him about the affair with records of phone calls and text messages, and that's when she said Hatcher then tried to choke her. Monica filed for divorce from Hatcher in September 2019.

Complying with the Orders

Under the temporary restraining order, Jerry Hatcher has to remove all his belongings from the home he shared with Monica, and he cannot come within 1,000 feet of her at any time. Hatcher also surrendered all his weapons on Monday, October 7, 2019, saying, “Divorces sometimes are very ugly and it's extremely painful for people to go through, and I understand as an elected official that mine is going to be public,” he said.

Just because Jerry Hatcher has been accused of an act of domestic violence does not mean he has to step down from his job, even if he can't carry his service pistol with him for the time being. Because he was elected by the voters of Benton County, the only two ways for him to leave the sheriff's office would be to be voted out or if he resigned voluntarily. Police officers or sheriffs can only be terminated if they are convicted of a serious crime.

Domestic Violence Attorney Steve Karimi

It is interesting to note that at the time of the alleged incident that Monica Hatcher claims the sheriff attacked her and choked her, she did not file a police report. It is also interesting that she has also waited nearly two years since the alleged incident to file for divorce. If you find yourself being accused of domestic violence in a time frame long after the alleged incident, you need a strong legal defense to clear your name and protect your rights. Contact the Law Offices of Steve Karimi today at 206-621-8777 or fill out a contact form to learn more.