A city police officer faces an aggravated assault charge for striking a woman with his personal vehicle during a “road-rage incident” at an ATM.
Cpl. John Compton, 59, was arrested Thursday following both an internal and criminal investigation, Chief Joseph Daughtry said during a press conference at police headquarters.
Compton, thinking the victim had cut him off, allegedly had words with the victim when she drove around him in the Regions Bank parking lot on Highway 45 to get to the ATM, Daughtry said. The victim claimed she wasn’t sure Compton was in line.
When the victim exited her vehicle to use the ATM, Compton allegedly struck her with his vehicle, pushing her out of the way, and left the scene, Daughtry said. The victim, who suffered bruises, then contacted 911.
“She was quick-witted enough to take a picture of the license plate,” Daughtry said.
The license plate was registered to Compton’s personal vehicle. Compton was off-duty at the time.
Daughtry said investigators interviewed Compton before opening investigations into the alleged assault. Compton was relieved of duty Wednesday and arrested the next day.
“It’s a sad day for the Columbus Police Department,” Daughtry said. “Some of the guys are a little, I guess, embarrassed, but like I told them when I spoke to them, ‘Hold your heads up.’ Everybody in this department are adults, and their actions are their actions. One person’s action is not a reflection of the whole department.”
Compton has worked two stints with CPD, the first from July 2017 to August 2020 before he left for Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, according to city human resources records. He returned to CPD in March 2023.
Daughtry said he had an “in-depth” conversation with Compton after the incident and was “very apologetic.”
“In his own words, ‘I screwed up,’” Daughtry said. “I can’t say what was on his mind at the time. … He said he was going to stand up like a man and handle it.”
If Compton had been on-duty, or if it had been an officer-involved shooting, Daughtry said the police department likely would have turned the investigation over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Under these circumstances, he thought it was important to handle it like a normal city case.
“(The victim) when she came to meet with me, I can honestly tell you she was very nervous … thinking maybe it would be swept under the rug,” Daughtry said. “… I looked her and her husband in the face and I assured her we were going to be fair. We were going to be transparent, not only to her but to the public as well.
“… As the chief of this city, I need people to understand, we are going to be fair and we are not going to uphold our own people’s wrongdoing,” he added. “If they do something criminal … we’re going to prosecute it. There’s nothing to hide. We’re going to do our job.”
Compton was released Thursday from Lowndes County Adult Detention Center after posting a $5,000 bond.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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