A Brevard County sheriff's deputy has been suspended without pay after being arrested on domestic violence charges.

  • Richard Lemons is 10-year veteran of force
  • He is suspended without pay
  • Lemons is accused of assaulting estranged wife

Richard Lemons, 42, is accused of assaulting his estranged wife at his Melbourne home.

Police arrived mid-Tuesday afternoon to his beachside apartment. That's where they say his daughter was having an argument with his wife, her stepdaughter.

An arrest report sheds more light on the circumstances -- Lemons said his wife was arguing over her "living in the ghetto" and he was "living on the beach."

He told officers he didn't know how she found out where he lived, and believes she went to the apartment complex with a spare set of keys, looking for his vehicle.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey said he doesn't tolerate this type of behavior from his employees. The deputy was off-duty but still in uniform when it happened.

"She had some marks to the wrist, and I'm told the deputy threw her to the ground," Ivey said.

A scuffle ensued on the ground, with Lemons losing the name tag off his uniform.

The deputy is suspended without pay until an investigation by the state attorney's office.

Deputy Lemons is a 10-year veteran of the force, assigned to the South Precinct in Melbourne.

The report says Lemons told officers nothing physical happened.