David Jones III

By Meghan Cooke
macooke@charlotteobserver.com

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting the man accused of hitting his mother's vehicle during a wreck this week in Matthews.Officer David Estele Jones III, 37, turned himself in to authorities Friday afternoon, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.Jones is accused of assaulting Richard Samuel McVicker, 38, who was charged with driving while impaired in connection with the wreck.

The crash happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on Sardis Road near N.C. 51.

Jones' 63-year-old mother had stopped at a red light when a vehicle driven by McVicker collided with her, according to a Matthews police report. Police described the wreck as a low-speed rear-end collision with no injuries.

Richard Samuel McVicker

At some point, the woman called her son, police said, and when Jones arrived, he got into an altercation with McVicker. McVicker suffered facial injuries in the dispute.

Jones' attorney, George Laughrun, said the officer was rushing to aid his mother, who had called him for help.

Laughrun said Jones' mother somehow got McVicker's keys to keep him from leaving the scene. Then, McVicker began beating on her car window, trying to get the keys back, Laughrun said, and the woman called her son, who lives nearby.

When he arrived, Jones pushed McVicker away from his mother's vehicle and McVicker fell and hit his head, according to Laughrun.

McVicker was treated at an area hospital. Police said they took breath samples from him and had blood drawn to determine his blood alcohol content. The results of those tests weren't immediately available Friday.

Police took McVicker to Mecklenburg jail Thursday after he was discharged from the hospital.

A mug shot of McVicker shows him with an apparent cut on his nose; two black eyes, including one that appears swollen shut; and wearing a bandage around his head.

Records show McVicker, of Charlotte, was charged last year with assault with a deadly weapon, but the charges were dismissed.

As he was released from jail Friday night, he told WBTV that he didn't see Jones coming before the officer threw him to the ground.

Jones, who police said was off duty and not in uniform during the incident, faces a charge of assault inflicting serious injury - a misdemeanor. Laughrun said his client plans to plead not guilty to the charge.

Jones has worked with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since September 2000 and is assigned to the department's South Division. He is on paid administrative leave pending investigations, police said.

Matthews police are conducting the criminal investigation while CMPD's Internal Affairs Division performs an internal investigation.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call Matthews police at 704-847-7755.

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement