Denton police have placed a 19-year veteran officer on administrative leave after he was charged with assault by a Denton County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

Todd Kidwell

Police spokesman Ryan Grelle confirmed Monday that Officer Todd Kidwell, 40, of Corinth, is on paid leave pending an internal affairs investigation into the events early Saturday that led to the arrest.

Grelle referred further questions to the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Caley said Monday that arrest documents have been filed but no further action has been taken in the case.

A witness called the sheriff’s office after seeing two men fighting in a parking lot off East U.S. Highway 380 in the Cross Roads area at about 6 a.m. The witness described two cars and the men who were fighting.

A deputy first found the victim, who said he and his boyfriend were having an argument and that the boyfriend punched him in the face, according to the sheriff’s report. Other deputies then found the suspect, who told them he was a Denton officer.

According to the report, Kidwell at first said it was just a verbal altercation but later said that he may have pushed and struck the other man.

Kidwell was charged with family violence assault, a Class A misdemeanor. He was freed at about 4 p.m. on $2,500 bail. He could not be reached for comment.

Denton police Capt. Lenn Carter confirmed Monday that Kidwell’s father died March 22, less than a week before the incident.

He said Kidwell would remain on paid leave until the internal investigation was finished.

Carter said Kidwell’s sexual orientation was not the issue but that it was an issue of breaking the law. It also was an issue of officer conduct, he said.

“We don’t want our officers fighting by the side of the road,” he said.

Other reports

2200 block of West Hickory Street — A pizza delivery woman reported to police early Monday that she believes a towing company employee stole her wallet.

The woman said she was making a delivery at an apartment complex; she did not pull into a parking space but left her car running in front of an apartment while she ran to the door. She noticed a tow truck back up to her car, and two men began to hook up her car. She said one of the men reached into the car and turned off the engine. She protested that she should not be towed, but the men ignored her.

She called her manager, who advised her to call police. She shouted to the men that she was calling 911, and they unhooked the car and drove away.

Later, she realized that her wallet, which had been pushed between the seats, was missing, according to the report.

An officer found the tow truck and talked to the men, who denied taking the wallet. An investigation is continuing.

6400 block of North Interstate 35 — An officer responded to a report by a bus driver Saturday night that a man could not be awakened on the bus and that he was holding a can of beer. Alcohol is not allowed on buses.

The officer awoke the sleeping man. The man said he had drunk four beers and some whiskey on the trip from Fort Worth and had smoked marijuana before he left, according to the report.

The man was wanted on outstanding warrants and was taken into custody. In his backpack, the officer found four empty beer cans and five full ones, a bag of marijuana hidden in a knife case and a marijuana pipe disguised as a highlighter pen, according to the report.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday:

• Denton police handled 1,054 service and officer-initiated calls, including four cases of possession of a controlled substance, six thefts, one assault, one aggravated assault, one family violence assault, one overdose, two vehicle burglaries, three reports of criminal mischief, one case of indecency with a child, one violation of a protective order and one runaway.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 675 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. A total of 128 people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of five cases of criminal mischief, three family violence assaults, two other assaults, one case of possession of a controlled substance, five thefts, one fraud, two burglaries, one missing person, one suspicious person, one vehicle burglary and one deceased person.

• Denton firefighters responded to 40 medical calls, one electrical malfunction, one request to assist an invalid, one request for public service, one water leak, two false alarms, one Dumpster fire, one alarm, one hazardous-materials incident, one cooking fire, one traffic accident, one alarm, one animal rescue, one deceased person and one smoke investigation.

Pilot Point firefighters responded to one odor investigation, one traffic accident, one illegal burn, one request for mutual aid and one medical call.

Krum firefighters responded to one fire inspection and one medical call.

Lake Cities firefighters responded to five medical calls, one traffic accident and one deceased person.

Argyle firefighters responded to one gas leak, one child birth, two medical calls, one request to assist a citizen, two traffic accidents and two alarms.

Double Oak firefighters responded to one request to assist a citizen and two medical calls.

Sanger firefighters responded to one smoke investigation, one animal bite, one alarm, two traffic accidents and five medical calls.

Aubrey firefighters responded to one downed power line, one grassfire, two medical calls, one request to assist a citizen and one fire.

Ponder firefighters responded to one medical call.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). To receive crime alerts in your area, visit www.CrimeWeb.net .