Manatee County deputy resigns after domestic battery arrest, sheriff’s office says

A Manatee County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy has resigned after his arrest for domestic battery, the sheriff’s office announced Friday morning.

Deputies say they responded to a report of domestic violence involving 31-year-old Timothy Downey Jr. and a woman Downey had an off-and-on relationship with on Thursday at 8 p.m.

According to a news release, deputies said they learned during the investigation that Downey “put his hands on” the woman after she asked him not to.

While still under investigation, Downey resigned as a patrol deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release.

Downey had been with the sheriff’s office since July 2018, when he was assigned to the Patrol Division, deputies say.

The sheriff’s office said an internal investigation and a criminal investigation are still ongoing. Further details were not immediately available Friday morning.