Fired Bibb deputy was responding to domestic violence call before arrest, records show

A Bibb County deputy recently fired and arrested for reportedly striking a compliant suspect during an arrest was responding to a domestic disturbance at a hotel in Macon, records obtained by The Telegraph show.

In a Friday release, the sheriff’s office said former Deputy Meshaun Gibson was terminated following an internal investigation and charged with simple battery after reportedly hitting a man during an April 3 arrest.

Incident report records revealed the suspect was accused of violently assaulting his girlfriend in front of her child before deputies arrived.

Gibson was among the deputies dispatched to the Baymont Hotel on April 2 after a report of domestic violence involving the suspect, Charles Anthony Williams, and his partner. Williams allegedly choked and slapped the woman after what she described as a “petty” argument, according to records.

Records said Williams allegedly put the victim in the bathroom, “where he used both hands to slap and choke her until she could not breathe.”

Her son, whose age was not listed in the report, woke up during the incident and pleaded with Williams to stop. Williams then began to whip the child, according to the incident report.

The woman tried to escape the room and yelled for help, but Williams tried to pull her back inside, the report said. She broke free and ran outside to get help, with her son running behind her, according to the report.

After the woman fled the scene, Williams took off in her car and was arrested when he returned, the incident record said. Deputies reported finding a loaded gun in his possession during a pat-down.

Williams faces multiple charges, including cruelty to children, battery, kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that a widely circulated Facebook video depicted the interaction between Gibson and Williams.

In the footage, a deputy is seen kneeling next to a handcuffed man lying on the ground and asking him, “Did you put your hands on her?” A few seconds later, a slap is heard. The deputy’s hands are not seen in the footage.

When Williams asked why he was hit, the deputy responded, “my hand slipped.”

Gibson turned herself in to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center Thursday night and was released on bond. She was terminated from the sheriff’s office earlier that day.