Hamilton deputy accused of hitting husband

A Hamilton County deputy was jailed Wednesday after witnesses said she decked her husband upon learning he might be having an affair, according to an arrest report.

The report said Deputy Lori A. Pickett was charged with domestic assault after she struck her husband, Hamilton County Courts Officer Jim Pickett, several times outside Juvenile Court, where she confronted him Friday.

Lori Pickett, who has worked at the sheriff's office for about 23 years and has a desk job, was released on her own recognizance. She has had her law enforcement privileges -- such as arrest powers and authorization to carry a weapon -- suspended pending the outcome of a criminal and internal investigation, said Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond.

"I can tell you 30 minutes later these two kissed and made up, but that doesn't mitigate what happened," Hammond said. "There are still consequences."

The incident began after Lori Pickett received an anonymous phone call saying her husband was having an affair with an unknown woman, the arrest report stated.

Pickett found her husband in the lobby at Juvenile Court, 1600 E. Third St., and confronted him. He asked to go outside, where the argument continued. Witnesses said she struck him around the head and shoulders as he attempted to move back, according to the report.

Jim Pickett told investigators he did not want his wife prosecuted on assault charges. Lori Pickett confessed to investigators, according to the report.

A message left at the Picketts' home Wednesday was not returned.

Hammond said a charge of domestic violence does not necessarily result in automatic dismissal from the sheriff's office. A criminal investigation always is initiated if there is evidence of violence, he said.

This isn't the first time Jim Pickett has faced allegations of infidelity.

He was suspended without pay for 30 days in December after an internal affairs investigation revealed he was having sex on the third floor of the Hamilton County Courthouse with a female employee of a private security company.

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