Brown County Deputy Charged with Assaulting Pregnant Girlfriend

By Jeremy Coumbes on January 31, 2023 at 4:15pm

A Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy is now facing charges in Adams County for assaulting a pregnant woman.

Cody Shaffer, no age provided, was arrested Friday in Adams County. According to a report by WGEM in Quincy, Shaffer allegedly struck his pregnant girlfriend with a pistol before then trying to strangle her.

Court documents obtained by WGEM allege that Shaffer’s girlfriend told police he struck her with a Ruger .380 handgun, and also placed his hands around her throat in an attempt to strangle her, with both actions resulting in bodily harm.

Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha confirmed to the news outlet that the complainant was Shaffer’s girlfriend and that she is pregnant with Shaffer’s baby.

A criminal information was filed in Adams County Court yesterday charging Shaffer with aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, and armed violence. Bond was set at $500,000 with 10% to apply, and an order for GPS electronic surveillance monitoring was also filed by the State’s Attorney’s Office.

According to the Illinois Public Salaries database, Shaffer has worked for the Brown County Sheriff’s Department since 2016. State’s Attorney Farha told reporters that Shaffer was not only a Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy but also a member of the West Central Illinois Task Force.

Brown County Sheriff Justin Oliver told WGEM that Shaffer has been placed on paid administrative leave. He is next due in court on February 15th at 9:00 for a preliminary hearing on the charges.