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MOAB — A Grand County sheriff's deputy accused of knocking his wife unconscious and seriously injuring her during a domestic dispute has been charged with a misdemeanor.
Austin Lynn Stubblefield was charged Friday in 7th District Court with assault, a class A misdemeanor.
Stubblefield and his wife were arguing on Sept. 20 when the dispute became physical, the woman told Moab police. Officers said the woman told them she intentionally knocked Stubblefield's glasses off a dresser during the argument, which made him "very angry."
"She remembers waking up bloody and beaten up," the investigating officer wrote.
Doctors diagnosed the woman with a concussion, a broken nose and a fractured right eye socket. She also had numerous lacerations to her right ear that required stitches to close and a chipped left front tooth, according to the investigating officer.
Stubblefield, 35, declined to speak with police. A Grand County dispatcher, however, told officers that Stubblefield said he punched his wife in the face in self-defense, the police report states. Stubblefield also sent the dispatcher pictures of his face that "showed a small scratch with bruising under his left eyebrow and a small scratch on his left ear."
Court records show that before Stubblefield and his wife married in August, he sought a protective order against her. The May 16 petition was granted on a temporary basis until a hearing could be held. The hearing never took place though, because Stubblefield asked the judge to dismiss his petition 12 days after he filed it.
Stubblefield began working for the Grand County Sheriff's Office in March 2013. He remains on paid administrative leave, Sheriff Steven White said Saturday.
The criminal case against Stubblefield is being prosecuted by the Emery County Attorney's Office to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. His first court appearance is set for Tuesday.
