Pine Bluff police released an incident report into the arrest of an officer who resigned after being booked into the Jefferson County jail on suspicion of third-degree battery.
The report was obtained through an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request.
According to the report, officers responded to 6215 W. Wormack St. at about 9 p.m. on Thursday in reference to a domestic disturbance. A woman reportedly told two officers she and her boyfriend, identified by police as Damion Durham and in online jail records as Damian Durham, had gotten into a verbal altercation about the status of their relationship “that turned physical.”
The woman reportedly told police Durham, 27, threw his vape pen in her direction during the verbal altercation and that “Durham pushed her and grabbed her by the neck causing red bruising along her collarbone area.” The woman reportedly told police “she pushed Durham back and even kicked him after he initially became physical with her.”
After Durham was taken into custody, according to the report, a sergeant observed bruising to the woman’s left collarbone area while talking with her. The sergeant performed duties under Laura’s Law (Act 877 of 2015), which according to the University of Arkansas System Criminal Justice Institute requires Arkansas police officers responding to domestic violence incidents to ask victims a set of questions to evaluate the risk of being killed by abuse.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“(The woman) stated their son fell from the bed onto the floor during the altercation, but was not injured,” according to the report. “Durham gave a statement to (the officers) and stated he and (the woman) did get into a verbal altercation that turned physical.”
Durham reportedly admitted throwing his vape pen on the ground before the physical altercation but said it was not in the woman’s direction.
“Durham stated they both pushed each other and admitted to (the detective) that (the woman) had sustained an injury alongside her collarbone,” according to the report. Both Durham and the woman told police they called 911 after the physical altercation.
Durham was booked into the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center at 11:24 p.m. Thursday and released at 11:18 a.m. Friday, according to online jail records at the time. Police declined to comment on the arrest through a spokesman.