Lubbock police deputy chief McClure arrested, accused of aggravated assault, family violence
A deputy chief of the Lubbock Police Department was arrested and booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center Thursday, police officials announced in a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Deputy Chief Leath McClure, who oversees the East Patrol Division, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of continuous violence against the family, Interim Chief Gregory Rushin said at the news conference.
McClure, 41, who has been with the Lubbock Police Department since 2005 and assumed his current role this summer, is on administrative leave as the investigation continues, Rushin said.
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Continuous violence against the family is a third-degree felony which carries up to 10 years incarceration.
His bond is set at $500,000, according to jail records.
Officials declined to answer questions about the circumstances of the case, but Rushin said a warrant for McClure's arrest was issued following a Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit investigation that began on Oct. 4.
The arrest warrant indicates the family violence offense happened on Dec. 1, 2022 and the aggravated assault offenses happened on Feb. 15 and March 8.
A police report obtained by the Avalanche-Journal shows McClure allegedly used his "hands, feet and fists" to assault a civilian LPD employee with whom he was in a romantic relationship. The 32-year-old woman told her supervisor that McClure became angry and pushed her into a wall and doorway at police headquarters before slapping her in the face in early October, prompting the Metro investigation.
"I've seen this in different departments, including my department in Plano. It’s a really sad day when a law enforcement officer gets arrested, and that’s not very often though," Rushin said in the news conference. "Never forget about all the officers out there every day that are serving honorably. We're still the same department. When something like this happens, it's a sad day, but it does happen."
The Lubbock County District Attorney's Office will recuse itself from the case, officials told the Avalanche-Journal.
This is a developing story.
Reporters Alana Edgin and Gabriel Monte contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock police deputy chief arrested on assault, family violence charges
