News

Actions

Court documents detail incident with officer accused of punching pregnant woman

Posted
and last updated

ABC15 is learning more about the pregnant woman allegedly punched in the face by a Gilbert police officer

Court records released Tuesday show Rickeda Jobe was first arrested on Thursday, March 2, after a domestic violence issue broke out at her family's Gilbert home.  Jobe was court ordered to stay away from the home, but returned later that week.

According to Jobe's mother, she called police after an argument broke out between siblings. 

Court documents show officers found Jobe across the street and questioned her.  She denied being at the home.  They then caught up with her around the corner to arrest her.  That's when a witness video taped Jobe's resisting arrest and one officer allegedly punching her. 

According to court documents, the officers claim Jobe's “tensed her arms in front of her body to prevent from being handcuffed."

Gilbert police identified the three officers who were in the video as Officer M. Ander, a 5 year veteran, Officer B. Wilson an 8 year veteran and Officer R. Sheppard, a two year veteran. 

In their reports, the officers claimed during the struggle to get Rickeda in custody, Rickeda "kicked Officer Ander approximately 3 times in the upper thigh of his right leg."

They also wrote, "she spit toward Officer Sheppard prompting him to cover her mouth. Rickeda bit Officer Sheppard on his left pinky finger through his gloves which caused him to begin bleeding."

The report said Rickeda admitted to hospital staff that she bit an officer. 

The family claims a witness told them Rickeda didn't resist arrest but began to struggle after she was struck in the back by one of the officers. 

Gilbert police are not identifying which officer allegedly punched Rickeda Jobe, but have put two of the three officers on administrative leave. 

A Gilbert police spokesperson told ABC15 they will be releasing body camera video once investigators are finished with it. 

Rickeda Jobe is charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault on an officer, resisting arrest and failure to comply with a court order. 

Her next court date is March 20.