Andrews – A newly hired police officer was arrested over the weekend after he reportedly told authorities he used a move taught in the academy to restrain an ex-girlfriend.
Roy William Bryan, 23, reportedly told a Cherokee County sheriff’s deputy that he used a jugular notch technique on a woman during a domestic argument that turned physical. He was charged with assault on a female and has since been released on bond.
Authorities were dispatched to Bryan’s home in Murphy on Sunday evening and spoke with the victim, who said the pair began arguing after he ended their relationship. According to a police report, the woman said she grabbed Bryan by his shirt when he attempted to leave in the middle of their conversation, and that Bryan then “body slammed” her on the ground.
When the woman stood up, Bryan reportedly threw her on a couch and pressed his finger into her jugular notch. The woman told police she tried to swing at Bryan to no avail, prompting him to allegedly say, “If you keep on, your arm is gonna get broken.”
The woman said Bryan then turned to leave and she again grabbed his shirt, which he slipped off before leaving the house.
Bryan’s account of the encounter mostly mirrored the victim’s statements to police; however, the report says he initially denied touching the woman’s neck. Bryan finally admitted he used the jugular notch technique after a deputy questioned the redness on her skin.
“[The deputy] observed a lot of redness around [the victim’s] neck and collarbone area,” the report says. “[The victim] also advised that her throat was sore and felt bruised.”
New officers going through Basic Law Enforcement Training are taught to use a jugular notch technique to prevent suspects from eating drugs or other items that could harm them. However, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, which sparked protests and riots across the country last year, agencies have discouraged officers from using any force that restricts respiration or blood flow to the head except in situations where deadly force is authorized by law.
While carotid holds, which restrict blood flow to the brain but still allow a person to breathe, are no longer taught in the police academy, a spokesperson with the N.C. Department of Justice told the Cherokee Scout that the jugular notch technique is still taught to new recruits.
“I've seen it done correctly and I've seen it done incorrectly. The ones who do it incorrectly are no longer in law enforcement,” Murphy Police Chief Justin Jacobs previously told the Scout. “You can't swallow anything when someone does the jugular notch technique on you.”
Bryan, who previously worked at the Clay County Detention Center, was hired by Andrews about a month ago as part of the police department’s rebuilding effort. Although Bryan graduated from BLET earlier this year, he had not yet received the required certifications from the state. He had been working part time in a training capacity and was expected to take the oath of office soon.
“He’s been placed on investigatory suspension without pay,” administrative police chief Rocky Burrell said, adding that the town is conducting an internal probe of the matter.