Police: Troubled ex-commissioner's son beats wife with table

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The son of a former Gwinnett County commissioner involved in a bribery scandal has had another run-in with the law.

Last month, John Fanning, 34, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.

His mother, Shirley Lasseter, was previously sentenced to 33 months in prison for accepting more than $35,000 in bribes in a federal sting operation.

Fanning was ordered to wear an ankle monitor while he was given time to get his affairs in order before heading to prison, but that time was cut short. On Friday, a SWAT team surrounded his home on Bold Springs Road in Dacula.

According to a police warrant, Fanning beat his wife and tried to stop her from getting help.

"There was an allegation that Mr. John Fanning had assaulted his wife and subsequently fled the scene into the woods," Chief Deputy Mike Boyd of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office said.

Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh obtained the warrant that said Fanning beat his wife with a wooden round table in front of their children. The warrant said he physically prevented her from calling 911 or calling for police protection, and she had bruises on her legs, forearm and back.

A school bus driver saw the whole thing unfold.

"It's a domestic dispute. And, um, the male has a weapon," The driver said to on a 911 recording.

"She was screaming at the bus driver to call 911 and then the man took off in the woods, but he had a gun," another 911 caller said.

The SWAT team eventually found Fanning in the woods.

"(We) found Mr. Fanning hiding in brushy area. However, he was not armed and he was taken into custody without incident," Boyd said.

Fanning was charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment, cruelty to children and interference with an emergency call.

Fanning's wife, Lesley, was arrested last month at a hearing for her husband. Deputies said she brought a loaded gun to the Gwinnett County Courthouse, and she didn't have a permit for it. Deputies said they also found prescription narcotics not in their original container.

So what's next for Fanning?

"Typically what happens is we will receive either a warrant or a court order from the feds, requesting that he be turned over to their custody," said Boyd.

WSBTV