Judge: Durham officer accused of assaulting wife has pattern of violence

Cpl. James John Cartwright, 41, of Knightdale, faces misdemeanor charges of assault on a female and interfering with emergency communications after he allegedly hit Amanda Cartwright in the mouth while in their car on Interstate 440 in Wake County Tuesday night.

Court documents show that Amanda Cartwright filed for a domestic violence protective order on Wednesday, saying her husband has a bad temper and has previously hit her in front of their 3- and 6-year-old sons.

Citing two other instances of alleged abuse, District Judge Ned Mangum wrote in the protective order that Tuesday's case "is part of a pattern of physically violent behavior" and that "the defendant is verbally abusive on a regular basis."

Records also show that authorities responded to the couple's home once in July 2012, when Amanda Cartwright called 911, alleging that she was assaulted and was worried about what would happen if her husband returned home.

According to a recording released Thursday, she called 911 Tuesday night saying they were returning home from a hockey game when he hit her.

She had called several times but kept getting disconnected.

"She keeps calling us. We got like five phone calls from her," the 911 dispatcher tells deputies responding to the call. "She's also saying her husband, or the male, works for the police, so use caution."

Cartwright, a patrol officer who has been with the Durham Police Department since 1998, was out of jail Wednesday on a $500 bond and is on paid administrative leave from the department.

His wife declined to comment Thursday, and Cartwright could not be reached for comment.