NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – A San Antonio police officer was suspended 45 days last month after an internal investigation determined he threw a woman on the ground and pinned her down for 10 minutes during a domestic dispute earlier this year.
Officer John Sylvester was off duty during the incident, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. on March 4 outside his New Braunfels residence, discipline records show.
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Sylvester put on his handgun and SAPD badge and went outside to try and prevent the woman from leaving the home, records show.
The officer repeatedly told the woman she could not leave before he reached into a vehicle and removed her phone and purse, according to records.
Sylvester then tried to pull the woman from the vehicle by her arm, shoulder and leg, records show.
Sylvester then grabbed the woman around the neck and shoulders and threw her to the ground.
He pinned her on the ground for approximately 10 minutes, until a New Braunfels police officer arrived at the scene and instructed Sylvester to let her go, according to records.
The woman complained to police that she had severe back pain, as well as bruising and scratches to her arms, legs and neck, records show.
Sylvester was not charged at the scene, records show.
“Based on the information that the officers had at the time, no arrest was made pending additional review and investigation. Based on that review, it was determined that the case should be forwarded to the Guadalupe County District Attorney’s Office for further review and prosecutorial consideration,” a spokesman for the New Braunfels Police Department confirmed Wednesday.
The Guadalupe County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to multiple inquiries from KSAT about the status of the case.
KSAT could find no record that Sylvester has ever been charged in connection to the incident.
Sylvester was originally handed a proposed indefinite suspension for being discourteous to the public and for acts showing a lack of good moral character, records show.
The discipline case was shortened to a 45-day suspension after Sylvester met with SAPD Chief William McManus.
Sylvester began serving the suspension last week and will remain suspended through Oct. 23, records show.
Sylvester has worked for SAPD since 2017, city Human Resources records show.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.