Assault charge dismissed against former Asheville police officer arrested after swearing-in

The assault charge against former Asheville police officer Paul Anthony Duvernay III was dismissed June 3, ending the criminal case that began the same day he was sworn in. The dismissal leaves unanswered why a man who had just joined the Asheville Police Department was arrested on an assault warrant tied to an alleged Feb. 3 incident.

Duvernay, 39, of Asheville, was arrested Feb. 21 by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office in Swannanoa on a charge of assault on a female. Asheville police said he had graduated from the department’s Basic Law Enforcement Training program the day before, on Feb. 20, and was immediately placed on investigative suspension after the arrest. The timing made the case more than a routine personnel matter: it raised questions about how the department screened him, what leaders knew before he was sworn in, and how quickly they moved after the warrant became public.

The arrest warrant reportedly said the alleged assault happened while Duvernay was still a trainee. It described a confrontation in which he allegedly grabbed a woman’s arms and leg while pulling her off a bed, causing bruising. Reporting also said officers first responded to a trespassing complaint at an apartment complex on Palisades Circle before the arrest followed.

Further scrutiny fell on the department’s handling of Duvernay’s background after WLOS reported that Asheville police confirmed he had three domestic-fight-related calls involving women since he was hired in June 2025. Department leaders were aware of those calls, according to that reporting, and an internal investigation had been opened. Those details widened the issue beyond the single arrest and into the department’s own records, hiring decisions and disciplinary response.

The dismissal closes the courtroom chapter, but it does not settle the broader accountability questions surrounding the case. The materials reviewed did not provide a detailed explanation for the judge’s ruling, leaving unclear whether the charge was dismissed because of evidence problems, a procedural issue or another legal factor. What is clear is that the case now stands as one of six Asheville-area law-enforcement arrests noted by The Citizen Times in the year up to March 5, a reminder of how quickly credibility questions can land on local agencies when an officer’s conduct becomes public.