Officer Suspended After Battery Arrest

An Oxnard police officer has been suspended from the department after being arrested on suspicion of domestic battery against his estranged wife, authorities said Monday.

Officer Steve Adams, a six-year veteran of the department, was arrested outside a residence in the 1200 block of West Iris Street in Oxnard about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Lee Wilcox.

Officers said Adams, who was off duty at the time, was arguing with his estranged wife outside the residence when police arrived. The woman, whose name was not released, alleged that Adams had assaulted her, and officers saw red scratch marks on her neck, Wilcox said.

A friend of the woman also told police she saw Adams assault his wife, authorities said.

Adams was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail, where he was released after posting $20,000 bail. He is due to be arraigned Friday on charges of domestic battery and inflicting a corporal injury.

Adams was put on paid administrative leave while authorities at the Police Department conduct an internal investigation, Wilcox said.