A man was sentenced to three years in prison after taking a negotiated plea deal for two domestic violence incidents, which occurred six and seven years after he resigned from a job as an Atlanta police officer.
Maury Swift, 34, entered a first-offender guilty plea to aggravated assault/strangulation, false imprisonment, criminal damage to property and battery. He was sentenced to 15 years, with the first three in prison and the remaining 12 on probation.
Fulton County Judge Craig Schwall accepted the plea in his courtroom Tuesday.
Swift worked for Atlanta police from July 2013 to October 2014 before voluntarily resigning from the department, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records.
Swift was indicted in November 2022 for an incident that occurred on June 27, 2020, and then indicted again in May 2023 for a separate attack that occurred July 8, 2021.
During Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors said the 2020 incident started when Swift was having an argument with his then-girlfriend at her apartment and began screaming and shouting at her. At one point, he became aggressive and tackled the victim while attempting to grab her phone that was recording the interaction.
Swift bit her on the right cheek and hand before smothering her by putting his hand over her mouth, according to prosecutors. He grabbed her hair and wouldn’t let her leave the apartment. She was finally able to reach the kitchen knives and demanded Swift leave.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
The victim was in court Tuesday and testified that her life was changed by the assault and that she had to go to therapy. She said she even moved out of her apartment over fears of retaliation.
“I’ve had nightmares about his hand around my neck. I overcheck my surroundings to make sure he wasn’t there,” she said.
The victim said she met Swift at Clark Atlanta University while both were part of the track team.
Prosecutors said Swift’s previous girlfriends would have testified that he was violent toward them on multiple occasions. As part of the plea, he is to have no contact with five victims, be subject to random alcohol and drug testing and undergo anger management treatment.
Swift’s aunt, Rendi Swift Thomas, said her nephew was a “changed man” who “knows the errors of his ways.” She asked for leniency and apologized for her nephew’s actions.
Swift’s parents told the judge via Zoom that their son is a good man and deserved leniency. Before being taken away, Swift told the judge that he had made amends with all of his previous girlfriends, except the one who testified Tuesday.
“The night of that incident was a big misunderstanding,” Swift said. “I’m completely remorseful.”
Schwall said Swift had faced more than 30 years in prison if he had been convicted instead of taking the plea deal.
“I hope that you can learn from this,” the judge said.
