Rutherford County jail officer John Maynard has not been arrested and remains on the job.MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -
A jail officer with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department is accused of punching a man in the face at a Murfreesboro gas station over the weekend, according to police.
It happened around lunchtime Sunday at the Swifty Gas station on Memorial Boulevard.
According to police, 41-year-old Philip Henry was waiting in line behind off duty officer John Maynard, who was parked at the pump.
Henry told police he was frustrated with Maynard because he was talking on the phone, so he pulled around to another pump.
"It all started basically because the victim in this case felt that he was having to wait too long for his turn to fill up his car," explained Sgt. Kyle Evans with the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Once Henry was out of the car, the two got into a verbal confrontation that turned physical.
According to Murfreesboro police, Henry lunged aggressively at Maynard who then pushed him back. Henry stepped forward again and Maynard punched him in the mouth.
Henry suffered two lacerations and had to get stitches.
"When officers responded, they noticed the victim bleeding profusely from the mouth," Evans said.
The incident took place in front of Henry's wife and teenage daughter who were inside the car.
Maynard, 34, has not been charged and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department is standing by their officer.
Dep. Chief Virgil Gammon told Nashville's News 2 Maynard felt threatened. He said while the matter is under investigation, Maynard remains the job.
"Unless something comes out that we're not aware of, we're going to support him a thousand percent and let him keep working," said Gammon.
Authorities added that Maynard did not identify himself as a detention officer during the incident.
Maynard was hired by the department in 2005.
Nashville's News 2 attempted to contact Henry for comment, however the calls remain unreturned.
