A man and a woman from the Solsberry area both admitted they'd been drinking for a couple of days and when they got into an loud argument, it escalated and he hit her in the face. He said it was just a reaction, she said he didn't mean it, but a deputy took him to jail.

Danny Joe Mathis, 46, Solsberry, was arrested by Deputy Kelly Hutchens of the Greene County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday night, August 31.

Around 9:17 that night, Greene County Dispatch got a report of an unruly person at a residence on East Timbertrace Drive, Solsberry. The caller said her son, Danny Mathis, and a woman had been drinking for two days and causing issues. She said they had been yelling and she was not sure if they were fighting or if anyone was fighting because she was unable to check the shelterhouse outside her residence to see what was going on. While one dispatcher was talking to her, Mathis also called dispatch and said that he was working on his car and the woman was acting psycho and he asked for law enforcement.

Deputy Hutchens was dispatched along with Deputy Michael Coy and while they were on the way, Mathis called dispatch again and allegedly admitted that he struck the woman but they were separated, and that there were weapons on the property but they were unloaded.

Deputy Hutchens arrived first and Deputy Coy arrived about five minutes later.

Deputy Hutchens reported that when she she talked to Mathis on the front porch of the house, it was apparent he was under the influence of alcohol. The caller who first reported the incident said Mathis and the woman had been drinking all day but Mathis said the drinking was not the problem. The problem was that the woman had gone wacko. He alleged the woman had put her hands on him twice in the previous two days and he said he “don't take that shit” and that he could not take it anymore.

Mathis allegedly said the woman tried to hit him and put her hands on his neck when they were outside in the open patio/shelterhouse area. According to a report by Deputy Hutchens, Mathis said when the woman tried to hit him, he lifted his left arm to block it and then he hit her in the jaw. He said she did not make contact with him and him hitting her was a reaction.

When the deputy talked with the woman, she confirmed the two had a disagreement and they had been drinking. She allegedly said he hit her on the left side of her face but did not do anything wrong and did not mean it, and she clarified the two did not live together and were not involved in a sexual relationship. The deputy reported her cheeks appeared to be flush and looked as if a bruise was forming under her left cheek.

Mathis was placed under arrest and transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 10:37 PM. His bond was set at $500 surety with 10% cash allowed.

Mathis is facing a charge of disorderly conduct: engaged in fighting or tumultuous conduct, a Class B misdemeanor, with an initial hearing in Greene Superior Court set for September 6.