A 25-year-old Englewood, Tennessee, police officer has been suspended without pay after being charged with reckless endangerment in a June 17 domestic incident in which authorities say he shook his infant daughter.
Matthew Williams, of Rose Drive in Englewood, was booked on the charge after detectives were notified June 19 of a "possible child abuse incident" that happened two days earlier involving the officer, according to a statement from McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy.
Officials in the McMinn County Circuit Court Clerk's office said Williams has a date in court on July 9 but it was unknown whether he has an attorney.
An investigation that included the 10th Judicial District Attorney General's Office "indicated that on June 17, Williams had become upset and had shaken his 2-and-a-half-month-old daughter in the presence of his wife" at their Englewood residence, Guy said in the statement.
Williams' wife "later took the child to the hospital for treatment, and the hospital staff called the Department of Children's Services," Guy said, "While the hospital did not find definite injuries, our investigation also discovered other domestic incidents involving Mr. Williams and [his wife] as well as other substantiating evidence of the incident involving the child."
Guy said Williams was taken into custody on the charge Tuesday night and released on $2,000 bond. Williams was ordered by the court not to have any contact with the baby or her mother, officials said.
Englewood police Chief Zach Ellis said in the statement that Williams is on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.
Photo contributed by McMinn County Sheriff's Office / Mugshot of Matthew Williams, 25, of Englewood, Tenn., charged with reckless endangerment on June 23, 2020.