Man pleads guilty in assault on his girlfriend, Bradley sheriff

Gregory Mathis Jr.
Gregory Mathis Jr.
photo Gregory Mathis Jr.
photo Eric Watson

A Cleveland man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of assault against his girlfriend and the Bradley County sheriff, who was injured when he tried to stop the fracas.

According to an affidavit, Gregory Mathis Jr. and his girlfriend were arguing in his car near the Sonic on 25th Street last April. The woman got out and started walking away and Mathis tried to force her back into the car, the affidavit stated.

It said Sheriff Eric Watson, who happened to be driving by, got out and intervened, and that Mathis punched him in the chest and ribs, bit him and started choking Watson with his own tie. Two Cleveland police officers then subdued Mathis and arrested him, the affidavit states.

Mathis pleaded guilty in Bradley County Criminal Court to one count of aggravated assault, one of assault with bodily injury, one of domestic assault and one of assault by offensive or provocative contact, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Judge Andrew Freiberg sentenced him to three years on aggravated assault, one year each on the domestic and bodily injury counts and six months on the fourth count.

The sentences will run concurrently, the release stated.

Watson stated in the release: "The events in April 2016 are circumstances law-enforcement officers across the nation face on a daily basis. Law-enforcement officers have an obligation to intervene when witnessing criminal conduct, especially an assault. My intentions that day were solely to disrupt a further physical attack on the female victim, which is my duty and the oath I took as Sheriff of Bradley County."

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