A Linton police officer was arrested by an ISP trooper over the weekend in a domestic incident involving a disagreement over child custody and visitation. The officer has since resigned and is facing a preliminary charge of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old, a Level 6 felony.

Joseph Daniel Riley, 27, Linton, was arrested by Indiana State Police Trooper Curtis Wilder on Saturday, August 21.

At the time of his arrest, Riley was serving as a police officer with the Linton Police Department. On Sunday afternoon, GreeneStreets was able to confirm that Riley has resigned from his position and is no longer employed by the LPD.

Around 6:42 p.m. Saturday, Trooper Wilder responded to a custody dispute at a residence on North County Road 1175 West, Linton. Trooper Wilder was first advised the dispute was between Joseph Riley and his wife who were living separately at that time.

A few minutes later, Trooper Wilder was advised Greene County Dispatch had gotten a 911 call made by a third party who said Joseph Riley was physically assaulting his wife. He was also informed personnel from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and the Linton Police Department were responding to secure the scene until he got there. Due to Joseph Riley’s employment as an LPD officer, both GCSD and LPD sought to avoid a conflict of interest.

When Trooper Wilder arrived on the scene, two GCSD deputies and one LPD officer who were there said Joseph Riley had already left but Joseph Riley’s wife, the alleged victim, provided video of the interactions between her and Joseph Riley. According to her, Joseph Riley had arrived with his new girlfriend in the passenger seat and she described a disagreement she had with Joseph Riley over a visitation issue.

During the altercation, with a child present in the vehicle, the alleged victim attempted to remove the child from the vehicle but Joseph Riley attempted to block her.

Trooper Wilder reported that in one of the videos provided, Joseph Riley is shown grabbing the woman’s arm and walking her backward. At that point, the child was out of the vehicle and standing near the alleged victim. The victim said she had bruises where she was grabbed and Trooper Wilder reported she had bruises consistent with her statement.

Riley was taken into custody at an unknown location and booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:44 p.m. with bond set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $400 and was released the next day, on Sunday, August 22.

A criminal case was filed against Riley earlier this morning, August 23, and Special Prosecutor, Stanley Levco of Evansville, has filed his appearance representing the state in this case.

When Riley appears in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing, he will be facing a charge of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old, a Level 6 felony.