NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk police officer has been charged with child abuse after an incident Saturday night at the Harris Teeter in Ghent, police say.
Jonluke W. Beasley, who has been with NPD since 2013, was taken into custody that night around 11:10 p.m. and later released on bond. The 33-year-old has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
At this time, police have not released footage of the incident, which they say happened around 9:10 p.m. Saturday at the 1320 Colonial Ave. store. Beasley and the child were no longer there when officers arrived, but the department said surveillance footage confirmed the reported abuse and Beasley as the suspect.
According to a criminal complaint 10 On Your Side obtained that was filed in Nov. 2017, this is not the first time Beasley has been accused of violent behavior. Following a house fire earlier that year where Beasley and his family lost everything in their home on W. 29th St., he was staying at his mother’s house. The mother of his child stopped by to drop off their son when Beasley reportedly yelled at her and shoved her. The complaint says their young son covered his ears and Beasley shoved the woman toward the door. She asked him if he was going to hit her again, referring to a previous instance, before police were called, the court document states.
10 On Your Side also found a filing from Jan. 2021 where Beasley was in a car accident at Wagner Road and W. Olney Road, hitting another car driven by a mother with her 2-year-old son. The City of Norfolk settled the case and awarded the mother $25,000 in response to her son’s injuries.
Police Chief Mark Talbot released this statement about the incident on Monday afternoon:
“As Chief of Police it is my highest duty to ensure that the Officers who are sworn to serve the residents of Norfolk are bound by strong moral and ethical codes and are choosing to live in such a way that represents our organization’s values,” Talbot said. “I want to reassure the public that any time an Officer exhibits any level of misconduct, it will be dealt with swiftly. I will only tolerate honest and reputable behavior from the men and women serving within the ranks of the Norfolk Police Department.”
WAVY reached out to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office to request Beasley’s mugshot, to which they responded there is no mugshot on file for him. We are also working to find out when he will be in court to face the child abuse charge.
Stay with WAVY on-air and online for updates.
