An Alabama police chief was arrested in Tennessee after police said he beat and strangled a woman he was dating during an argument over “alleged cheating,” Luxury Handbag Shopping has learned.
Stephen Malone, 32, the chief of the Collinsville Police Department in Alabama, had been visiting the woman at her Nashville home when the assault unfolded on Sunday, February 1, according to an arrest affidavit shared with Us by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
He had been newly appointed as the police chief in Collinsville, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kristin Mumford told Us via email on Wednesday, February 4.
Now, he is facing an aggravated assault charge in connection with the alleged violent beating on February 1, according to police.
Malone is represented by attorney Bernard McEvoy, who did not immediately return a request for comment from Us.
According to the arrest affidavit, Malone and the woman he was visiting got into an argument over cheating allegations after they arrived at her apartment around 3 a.m. on February 1.
What was initially described as a verbal dispute turned physical when Malone began to “hammer strike the victim in the face with his closed fist,” the affidavit says.
“He also grabbed her by the throat with his hand and slammed her down multiple times,” the affidavit continues.
Investigators who responded to the assault saw that the woman had several visible injuries, including scratches on her neck, as well as bruises on her knees and cheek, according to the affidavit.
The woman told investigators that she scratched Malone’s face “in self-defense to get him away,” the affidavit says.
In an interview with police, Malone “kept repeating that the victim was drunk, needed help, and that he did not want [to] get her in trouble.”
After he was read his Miranda rights and learned of the woman’s injuries, Malone told investigators that she assaulted him and broke his necklace, which he said angered him, according to the affidavit.
Malone allegedly would not address how the woman became injured during the incident.
“Due to the victim’s statements aligning with injuries and observations, the defendant was determined to be the primary aggressor,” the affidavit says.
Malone has since resigned from his position as Collinsville police chief, according to WHNT, which reports he became chief in 2025.
A new interim police chief, Jeremy Pinegar, has been appointed, WHNT reported.
The Collinsville Police Department did not immediately return Us’ request for comment on February 4.
Collinsville is a small town in northern Alabama, located about an 80-mile drive northeast from Birmingham. The town has a population of more than 2,000 people.
Following Malone’s arrest in Nashville, he was taken to custody at the Downtown Detention Center, the Tennessean reported. By Monday, February 2, he was released.
His next appearance is scheduled for February 10, court records show.
In Alabama, a first-degree assault charge is a class B felony and could result in a prison sentence between two to 20 years, as well as up to a $30,000 fine.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
