A detention officer with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, one who was already awaiting trial for a felony domestic violence charge, is now facing a new domestic violence charge after a woman claimed he physically assaulted her and ripped a necklace from her neck.
Patrick Wayne O’Brien, who remains employed as a Guilford County Sheriff’s Office detention officer, was charged in early August with felony assault inflicting serious injury by strangulation as well as with misdemeanor domestic violence.
He was in a relationship with the woman at that time, according to court documents.
In the arrest warrant in that case, it was alleged that he picked the woman up by the neck to the point where she couldn’t breathe, which resulted in strangulation marks on her neck. The warrant also alleged that O’Brien threw the woman against a wall.
The new charges, which originated from an incident on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, are a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and a charge of injury to personal property.
The same woman who filed charges in August has now alleged that O’Brien, who is 52 years old, headbutted her, ripped a necklace from around her neck and threw it at her.
The second count, injury to personal property, results from the damage to the diamond necklace, which court records note has a value “in excess of $200.”
The trial for the first case is scheduled for next month.
In August, after the first incident, O’Brien was arrested in Greensboro and released on a written promise to appear.
O’Brien was still working at the jail this week after the second round of charges was filed.
After the August incident, the Sheriff’s Office stated that O’Brien would still be employed “pending an investigation.”
The new charges come during Domestic Violence Awareness Month – October – and, ironically, the Sheriff’s Office’s most recent posting on its Facebook page is one that stresses the seriousness of domestic violence.
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” the Facebook post states, with a graphic of a pink ribbon as the background. “During this time, we highlight the ongoing and widespread social and public health crisis of domestic violence, affecting individuals across all classes, races, ethnicities, and sexualities. This awareness month provides us with an opportunity to start a conversation and raise awareness regarding the impact of domestic violence. You are not alone and there are resources to help.”
The post also notes that one in three women and one in four men are victims of domestic violence from an intimate partner in their lifetimes.
