SPRINGDALE, Utah — A Springdale police officer could now face several charges, including assault, threat of violence, and threat of a dangerous weapon in a fight, among others, following a fight inside his home. Britt Tony Ballard, 40, was arrested on Monday.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, police were called to Ballard's home on May 4th at around 11:00 p.m. for a report of a family fight.
Ballard's wife told police that the family had been having a nice evening when she went to caress Britt on the cheek. Britt, to that point, according to witnesses, had been chewing his fingernail and spitting his nail at his wife's face. That's when a verbal altercation began.
Witnesses told investigators that Britt produced a handgun during the argument and pointed the gun at the ceiling, claiming that he would "blow someone's brain" if they came at him. One of Ballard's daughters also reported hearing her father say he would knock his wife out. At one point, the gun was placed in a refrigerator.
Ballard's son-in-law would reportedly then approach him before Britt told him to get out of the house. However, Ballard's wife stated that the son-in-law could stay, which angered Britt.
Ballard allegedly started pushing his son-in-law towards the door before he was struck in the face. Multiple family members then sat on Britt and started hitting him.
According to detectives, all of the adults in the home were intoxicated at the time of the argument.
Police determined that Britt Ballard had been the primary aggressor in the incident and was arrested. Due to minors in the home, Ballard will also face six counts of domestic violence in the presence of a minor.
Springdale's Mayor, Barbara Bruno, says that Ballard has been placed on leave. She stated, "He's been placed on leave, and future determination of his status will come after an internal investigation."
FOX 13 News has reached out to Springdale Police about the arrest and will update this article when we learn more.
