Officer fired and arrested after dispute

An Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested at his Burnettown home Friday morning for unlawful communication and was fired hours later from his position with the agency, officials said.

Mark Patterson, 33, of Fourth Street, was arrested around 8 a.m. Friday.

According to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, the juvenile division investigator was terminated as a result of the arrest because he violated the agency's code of conduct. He had been employed there for about five years.

The incident unfolded late Thursday, said Burnettown Police Chief David Paul Smith.

Patterson and his wife had been text messaging one another most of the evening, arguing back and forth, said Smith.

The two had been separated, and Patterson was not at their Fourth Street home when the communications began, he explained.

"By about 1:30 a.m., it appeared as if things calmed down between the two, but then about 6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. things picked back up," he added.

The text messages were not made public, but the police chief confirmed profanity had been used.

Less than two hours later, the former deputy reportedly went to the house he and his wife legally shared and ransacked the residence, Smith said. A third party, who was not involved, called for help, he added.

Smith said the two had been inside and out of the home during the argument and said a neighbor could have placed the phone call.

Although the deputy was armed and wearing a holster, Smith said Patterson never threatened his wife with the weapon.

The police chief could not comment on whether the gun Patterson was carrying was his duty weapon or not.

He said neither Patterson nor his wife appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

Although the incident occurred off duty, officials at the sheriff's office said the agency's code of conduct requires a deputy to act properly both on and off duty.

The incident is still under investigation, the police chief said.

A mug shot was not available at presstime.

Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.