KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville firefighter was arrested on Oct. 23 after allegedly punching and choking a woman, according to the Knoxville Police Department.
Marshall Dockery, 24, was arrested for two counts of aggravated domestic assault and one count of false imprisonment for two separate incidents that allegedly occurred on Oct. 17 and Oct. 20.
According to police records, on Oct. 17, Dockery and the woman had an argument so they agreed to meet under the bridge near Barley's to talk. He went into Wagon Wheel to look for her.
The woman tried to speak with Dockery, and he told her to leave, according to records. Dockery then allegedly followed her back to her car and pointed a gun at her stomach, threatening to shoot her if she showed up at his work again.
According to police records, on October 20, Dockery broke up with the woman over text message, and she went to an apartment on Cherokee Woods Way to gather her belongings.
Dockery asked to see her phone, which she gave him, according to records. He then asked if she wanted to talk and sat next to her on the bed. Dockery allegedly put his hand over her mouth and nose and pushed her head back on a pillow to the point she could not breathe.
Records showed he punched the woman in the back of the head and the side of her face with his other hand. He also kneed her in the stomach, and she attempted to fight back. Dockery allegedly threatened her life and told her not to scream. They fell on the floor, according to records, and Dockery put the woman in a headlock. She told police she felt dizzy and could not breathe.
In a statement, Fire Chief Stan Sharp said Dockery was placed on administrative leave with pay on Oct. 24 after his arrest. He was off duty at the time of these incidents.
"Dockery has not been on duty since his arrest. The City's policy is to not comment on pending criminal proceedings, so I am unable to make any additional statements about the case," Sharp said in the statement.
Dockery has been a City of Knoxville firefighter for two years.
