ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A newly sworn-in Asheville police officer has been arrested and charged with assault on a female following an incident at an apartment complex, authorities said.
Officers with the Asheville Police Department responded Feb. 20 to a trespassing complaint at an apartment complex on Palisades Circle. Following an investigation, warrants were obtained for Paul Anthony Duvernay III, 39, charging him with assault on a female, police said.
The incident occurred within Asheville city limits. Duvernay was arrested Feb. 21 in Swannanoa by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
He was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility and is being held without bond under a 48-hour domestic violence hold, making him ineligible for release during that period, according to officials.
Duvernay, who was recently sworn in as an officer with the Asheville Police Department, has been placed on investigative suspension. The department said an internal investigation has been launched.
Police said no additional details will be released at this time to preserve the integrity of the ongoing criminal and internal investigations.