By Denise Blaz
Abilene Reporter-News
Three months after Jonathan Blevin Matthis, a former Ranger police officer, was falsely accused of stalking and physically hurting a woman, he says he is trying to reobtain his peace officer certification.
Matthis, 28, was arrested in October on charges he allegedly stalked, assaulted and made terroristic threats against an unidentified woman.
On Monday, Eastland County District Attorney Russ Thomason said charges against Matthis have been dropped and a criminal case against his alleged victim has been opened.
“The investigating agency (Texas Rangers) requested that all charges be dropped after their investigation led them to question the victim regarding some inconsistencies in her story,” Thomason said.
Matthis was never indicted in the case. A criminal charge of providing false information to a peace officer has been filed with his office against the alleged victim in the case, he said.
The alleged victim recanted her story to police on March 19, he said.
A call to the Texas Rangers, the lead agency in the case, had not been returned as of late Monday.
Matthis has said that once he receives the dismissal paperwork from the district attorney’s office, he plans on petitioning the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education to get his peace officer certification back.
“I will not be going back to or even attempting to go back to Ranger PD as this whole ordeal has left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said. “I was shocked, horrified and dismayed over this.”
After the allegations surfaced last year, Matthis was subsequently fired from the Ranger Police Department.
Last week, Ranger Chief of Police James Elliot declined to comment on the dropped charges against Matthis.
Court records indicate the alleged victim told police Matthis “would shove her around and throw her on the ground.” Police accused Matthis of repeatedly punching the woman and sending her text messages, threatening her with bodily harm.
The woman, whose age wasn’t given, said she began dating Matthis during February 2011, when she was a senior in high school. The woman now attends Cisco College, according to court records. The woman alleged the relationship became abusive and, at one point, alleged Matthis punched her in the face during an argument at the police station.
Copyright 2012 The E.W. Scripps Company