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‘Body Slammed Him’: Tennessee Mayor Charged With Assaulting Girlfriend’s Child Over Yard Work Payment, Police Say

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Julianna Frieman Contributor
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A Tennessee mayor was charged with domestic assault Sunday following a dispute with his girlfriend’s son about yard work, police say.

Landon Shaun Mathis physically attacked the young victim at a house in Burns after he allegedly refused to pay the child for weedeating his lawn, according to a Dickson County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit obtained by WSMV4. Police responded to the Johnson St. residence over reports of a domestic disturbance.

The boy, identified as KP in the affidavit, claimed Mathis agreed to pay him $40 for doing yard work on his property. The 45-year-old suspect allegedly did not uphold the deal after the work was done and refused to pay his girlfriend’s son, according to the affidavit. (RELATED: Father-Son Duo Shoot Neighbor Dead Over Trash Dispute)

Mathis grabbed the boy’s shirt collar and pushed him down onto the couch while the boy was telling his mother about Mathis’ alleged refusal to pay, according to the affidavit. Mathis pushed him continuously and left marks on his neck, the boy told police.

“Landon grabbed [KP] and body slammed him getting on top of him in some kind of neck hold,” the boy told police, according to the affidavit. Mathis allegedly “began to twist and push on his nose causing pain.”

Police brought Mathis into custody at the Dickson County Jail.

Mathis is credited with saving former Burns Mayor Jeff Bishop’s life in 2019, according to The Tennessean. He reportedly performed CPR on Bishop after he suffered a major heart attack.