Raleigh officer charged with assault, domestic violence after off-duty incident

Raleigh police put one of their own on administrative leave, then fired him four days later after he was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend at a home in northeast Raleigh.

Ryan Greathouse, 27, of Raleigh, was identified in local reporting as the officer charged in the case. Police said the alleged assault happened April 12 at a home in the 6300 block of Lakecrest Drive. The charges filed against him include simple assault, assault on a female, misdemeanor domestic violence and false imprisonment.

The department said Greathouse was placed on administrative leave while the investigation was underway. On April 17, after consultation with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, Raleigh police said he was fired. He was also reported to be in custody with no authorized bond and scheduled to appear in court April 29 at the Wake County Justice Center.

The case has put renewed attention on how Raleigh police handle allegations of misconduct by officers, especially in domestic violence cases that unfold off duty but still test public confidence in the department. Chief Rico Boyce, who took over the department on March 1, 2025, after 25 years with Raleigh police, said officers are expected to hold themselves to the highest standards on and off duty. He also said one employee’s conduct does not represent the entire department and that an internal affairs review will be conducted.

That review falls under the department’s own internal affairs function, which is responsible for receiving, processing, assigning and supervising investigations into alleged misconduct or criminal conduct involving Raleigh police employees. Boyce has also made accountability and leadership one of his stated strategic priorities for the department.

The broader stakes are hard to ignore. North Carolina Department of Public Safety data shows domestic and family violence includes crimes such as simple assault committed by a current or former intimate partner or family member. The state recorded 138,375 simple assault incidents in that broader category from 2019 to 2021, and 71% of domestic and family violence victims in 2021 were female.

For Wake County, the case now turns to the criminal court process and the department’s internal review, both of which will shape whether Raleigh police are seen as enforcing the same standards inside the department that they demand everywhere else.