Jacksonville corrections officer charged in domestic dispute

A Jacksonville corrections officer has been arrested in a dispute with a woman at his home. He is the first Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office employee to be arrested this year, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Thursday.

Christopher E. Bowens, 30, was charged with battery and false imprisonment and remains behind bars on $4,500 bail, jail records show.

Officers were called to handle a dispute at Bowen’s house early Thursday. They found that Bowens had grabbed the woman by the arm then blocked a door for about 30 minutes so she could not leave, Waters said.

“What training do you need to know not to touch someone, or hit somebody that you shouldn’t touch?” Waters said. “You don’t need any training for that. You need to uphold the oath that you take when you come to this office. You need to do the things that you are supposed to, and not violate state law and not violate our policy. If you do that, then this is the result.”

Bowens had been employed by the Sheriff’s Office for just under three years and has resigned, Waters said.

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The Sheriff’s Office arrested 12 of its own employees last year. The last was a 17-year corrections officer charged with domestic battery in December.