Waveland assistant police chief and wife arrested on assault charges, police say

Waveland assistant police chief Phillip Pavolini and his wife have been arrested on simple assault charges in Stone County, Stone County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Chief Phyllis Olds confirmed Tuesday.

Pavolini and his wife, Cynthia Pavolini, were each arrested on misdemeanor simple assault charges on Monday when they surrendered at the Stone County Sheriff’s Department.

The arrests followed a complaint by the couple’s estranged son-in-law over the assistant chief allegedly firing a gun during a heated encounter Friday. The assistant’s chief wife is accused of slapping the man.

Olds confirmed that the couple’s daughter is involved in a custody battle with her estranged husband, and the incident occurred at the home the daughter lives in.

Waveland Police Chief Mike Pendergrast said Pavolini has been on medical leave, but an internal investigation is under way to determine if there have been any policy violations.

Margaret Baker

Sun Herald

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Margaret is an investigative reporter whose search for truth exposed corrupt sheriffs, a police chief and various jailers and led to the first prosecution of a federal hate crime for the murder of a transgendered person. She worked on the Sun Herald’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Hurricane Katrina team. When she pursues a big story, she is relentless.