BATON ROUGE - A State Police lieutenant is on administrative leave after he was arrested for domestic violence on Thursday.

Arrest documents obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit said Trooper James Jefferson III, 40, was taken into custody by Baton Rouge Police around 12:45 a.m. Jefferson was released from custody Thursday afternoon after posting a $10,000 bond.

Officers responded to a domestic abuse call along Lake Sherwood Avenue South around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and found Jefferson and his wife arguing.

Documents said a family member called law enforcement after hearing a struggle between the couple and the woman yelling for help before being thrown to the ground. Both Jefferson and his wife denied that they physically fought and told officers that only a verbal altercation happened. Police noted that there were fresh scratches on Jefferson's hand.

Officers found surveillance video of the incident that included audio. Police said they could hear but not see a struggle followed by the victim yelling: "he's punching me" and "don't throw me on the ground." Documents said the altercation happened while a 7-year-old child was in the back seat of the truck.

Jefferson was booked for domestic abuse battery with child endangerment. At a bond hearing Thursday afternoon, a judge did not issue a protective order against Jefferson.

State Police said he will remain on leave until an administrative and criminal investigation are complete. Jefferson has been a trooper since 2007 and was assigned to State Police headquarters.

In 2021, Jefferson was interviewed for Baton Rouge Parents magazine. In an interview, he said that being a parent improved his life and made him more patient. 

"Parenthood has changed me for the better. You’re more cautious about how you live life. You’re very calculated about the things that you do and the way that you go about presenting yourself to your kids. Also, patience, for me, has been a big thing," Jefferson said.