WILLIAMSTON, N.C. — A Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been fired and charged with domestic assault in an incident that happened Sunday.

Martin County Sheriff Tim Manning said in a media release he was contacted by Kimberly Pierce Kidwell regarding a domestic assault that had occurred in the morning. Kidwell advised that her husband, John Burton Proctor Kidwell, Jr., had assaulted her at their residence, which is located on Abbitt Road in Williamston.

John Kidwell was a deputy sheriff with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the alleged assault.

After an investigation and consulting with the district attorney, John Kidwell was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault on a female. John Kidwell was transported to the Bertie Martin Regional Jail under no bond.

John Kidwell is no longer employed by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in any capacity. John Kidwell was assigned as a School Resource Officer and was hired by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office on June 27, 2019. There are no letters of reprimand, write-ups or disciplinary actions contained in John Kidwell’s personnel file.

This incident remains under investigation and no further information will be released.