Former CMPD officer found not guilty of pointing gun at ex-wife, other man
A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer accused of pointing a gun at his ex-wife and another man last Christmas Eve was found not guilty in court Tuesday.
Onesiphorus Bernard Williams, 52, was found not guilty of two assault by pointing a gun charges in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, according to records.
Williams was arrested on Dec. 24.
A domestic violence protection order was dismissed on Tuesday, court records said.
Williams was accused of entering his ex-wife’s bedroom uninvited while she and another man were asleep, according to an arrest affidavit. Williams and the woman were divorced at the time, the affidavit said.
He was accused of taking his gun out of his holster, racking the gun and pointing it at both people. The affidavit alleged that Williams yelled at the other man to get out. Williams admitted to police he became angry and racked his gun, but never pointed it at his ex-wife or the other man, the affidavit said.
District Court Judge Paige McThenia found him not guilty in a bench trial, according to court records.
Williams, who was hired at CMPD in 2022, was placed on unpaid leave last year.
Williams said in a statement that he was fired by CMPD. He said the domestic violence system is “structurally tilted” toward women, allowing them to weaponize it in divorce and custody battles.
“I was arrested twice. I was publicly shamed, misrepresented in the news, shunned at my daughters’ school, terminated from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, denied unemployment benefits, and unable to use my law-enforcement certification or find work for nearly a year while these charges hung over me,” Williams said in his statement. “That is the cost of false allegations. I survived this. I was vindicated in court because the truth was stronger than the lies told about me. My daughters and I will recover. We will rebuild. And we will continue to thrive in Charlotte, a city we love.”
His attorney, Michael Greene, said in a phone call with The Charlotte Observer Thursday that while he was pleased with the verdict, he shared his client’s frustration.
“Bernard was the unfortunate benefactor of losing his job, losing his reputation, losing his credibility, and losing a ... career, that he worked hard to accomplish,” Greene said. “He and I will talk later on down the road about next steps, if any.”
