NYPD commander alleged victim of assault

A retired Hempstead Village police detective from Baldwin is accused of assaulting his wife -- the commanding officer of a Brooklyn police precinct -- in a domestic violence incident in Islip, according to court records and police.

William Fowlkes III, 47, surrendered Tuesday at the Third Precinct in Bay Shore and was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree criminal trespass and fourth-degree criminal mischief after an assault Monday in Baywood, an Islip hamlet, police said.

A New York City law enforcement source said the victim is Juanita Holmes, a deputy inspector who was recently named the commanding officer of the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The source was not authorized to speak on the record because the investigation is being handled by an agency outside of the city.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman would not confirm the identity of the victim, citing policy regarding domestic violence incidents. But the law enforcement source confirmed the incident and said it happened at the home of an NYPD detective Holmes was visiting.

Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association, confirmed Holmes was the alleged victim in the incident.

"Inspector Holmes is a highly regarded police executive who is the victim of a terrible crime," Richter said. "She has the care and support of her friends and co-workers as she recovers from this traumatic act of violence."

Police said the two were estranged but an attorney for Fowlkes said the couple were married, living together and planning a vacation to Jamaica next week.

According to the incident report filed with Suffolk police, Holmes was at the home of a friend on North Thompson Drive when her husband showed up, banging on a window near the front door.

Holmes said in the report Fowlkes wanted to speak with her, and she went out to the porch, locking the front door behind her. Fowlkes then threw her to the ground, she said in her statement, and "punched and kicked me about my head and body."

Fowlkes kicked open the front door and started to approach the friend, according to the report, but stopped when the friend pointed a firearm at him. The report said the friend said, "Stop. Get out of my house."

Holmes said Fowlkes punched and kicked her again before leaving and yelling at her from his car.

She said in the report, "I'm afraid for my safety and want my husband arrested for hurting me."

Police said the incident was reported Monday at 9:53 a.m.

Fowlkes' attorney, Stephen LaMagna, of Garden City, said the incident was under investigation and he could not comment on what happened at the scene. He said the "provocation" was based on an incident between Holmes and her "paramour."

Court records show Fowlkes was arraigned Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip and released on his own recognizance after the judge issued a temporary order of protection.

All three charges are misdemeanors.

Neither law enforcement sources nor Suffolk police would characterize the extent of the assault.

However, the incident report said she had "contusions, swelling and bruising" with back pain and head pain. It was not clear if Holmes required medical treatment.

With Matthew Chayes and Emily C. Dooley