Suspension of MS Coast police chief follows officer’s domestic violence arrest
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Moss Point police chief Brandon Ashley suspended after officer court action
- Officer Craig Chandler's domestic violence conviction dismissed, record cleared
- Amber Chandler may refile charges as case was dismissed without prejudice
Moss Point Police Chief Brandon Ashley’s temporary suspension last week came in the aftermath of the arrest and subsequent prosecution of one his officers for domestic violence..
Ashley has been on an unpaid suspension since Mayor Billy Knight recommended a five-day suspension on Aug. 5. Last week, the Board of Aldermen voted 5-2 in support of the suspension.
On Tuesday, the board called a special meeting to hold another executive session regarding police personnel matters. The board then voted 5-0 in favor of firing Moss Point K-9 Officer Craig Chandler, the officer charged in the domestic violence case.
Since the chief’s suspension, the Sun Herald conducted interviews and independently obtained records to shed more light on the misdemeanor domestic violence case against Chandler that had otherwise gone unreported.
Craig Chandler had been on leave since July, when a Justice Court judge adjudicted him guilty of the domestic violence offense.
But Craig Chandler’s attorney, Tyler Cox, appealed the conviction to the county. That ultimately resulted in the decision to dismiss the conviction and later expunge it from his record, meaning his record is wiped clean.
A dog, a dog kennel and an alleged domestic assault
According to records obtained by the Sun Herald, Craig Chandler’s estranged wife, Amber Chandler, filed a Jan. 31 report of misdemeanor domestic violence by simple assault against her estranged husband at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
In the criminal affidavit filed in Justice Court, the estranged wife accused Craig Chandler of pulling a gun on her and demanding that she get her dog out and leave the home over a month earlier, on Dec. 23, 2024.
In the affidavit, Amber Chandler accused the officer of “doing a lot of screaming, kicking and jerking a dog kennel around” that resulted in alleged injuries “on her legs, feet, arms and stomach..”
According to the incident report, Jackson County sheriff’s deputies went to the home where the domestic assault was reported on Dec. 23, 2024.
When deputies arrived, Amber Chandler reported that the domestic assault occurred after she and her estranged husband got into an argument. Amber Chandler told deputies the assault happened after Craig Chandler attempted to get a treat out of her dog’s mouth, and the dog bit him.
In response, the report said, Craig Chandler got angry, picked up the dog kennel and threatened “to kill the dog.” Amber Chandler said she sustained injuries after her estranged husband slammed the dog kennel down, and the kennel landed on her feet and scraped up her arm.
Afterward, the report said, Craig Chandler allegedly grabbed a firearm and told his estranged wife, “she had one chance to get her dog out of the house.” She also accused the officer of punching several holes in a wall in a closet at the home.
But at the time of the Dec. 23, 2024, report, Amber Chandler told deputies ”she did not want to press charges,” the incident report said.
By the end of January, Amber Chandler changed her mind and Craig Chandler was subsequently charged with the domesic violence offense.
His attorney, Cox, however maintains that allegations against Chandler were “never domestic violence.”
A conviction and a record wiped clean
On July 11, Craig Chandler’s attorney said he entered a no-contest plea to the offense in Jackson County Justice Court on behalf of the police officer. Justice Court Judge Matthew Lachaussee found the officer guilty of the offense as a result and ordered him to attend domestic violence classes and pay a fine.
On July 21, Cox then appealed the conviction to Jackson County Court.
County Court Judge Mark Watts then dismissed the conviction without prejudice based on an agreed order between the officer’s attorney and County Prosecutor Lee Farragut.
“There was no trial testimony,” Watts said. “It was agreed on by the lawyers.”
The following day on July 25, Judge Watts signed an order to expunge the case against the police officer.
But by Aug. 1, the county prosecutor filed a new request, this time to set aside the agreed order to dismiss the case against the officer — at the request of Craig Chandler’s estranged wife — and to have the case put back up for an appellate docket for trial in County Court.
Judge Watts on Monday denied the request to vacate the dismissal order and subsequent expungement order, he said, based on the rules of the court.
In his order filed Monday, he said he has since learned the Chandlers have a pending divorce case in Jackson County Chancery Court and that the grounds for divorce on behalf of the estranged wife mimic the allegations from the domestic violence case for alleged “habitual cruel and inhuman treatment.”
As a result, Watts ruled that any other such action against those involved should go before the Chancery Court because it involves the same type of allegations.
In addition, Watts said in his order that Amber Chandler is still free to pursue the same criminal complaint against her estranged husband in Jackson County Justice Court once again since the judge dismissed the case without prejudice.
When a case is dismissed without prejudice, the complainant is free to refile the charges as long as they fall within the statute of limitations
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training has temporarily suspended Officer Craig Chandler’s police credentials.
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM.
