DACULA, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
The son of a former Gwinnett County commissioner who was sentenced in September for accepting bribes and trafficking drugs made his first appearance in court Saturday morning.
John Fanning was arrested Friday morning in Dacula on charges which included aggravated assault and cruelty to children.
The arrest came less than a week after Fanning, 34, was supposed to report to federal prison.
Fanning appeared in court which was held in the Gwinnett County Jail. He asked for a court appointed attorney. No bond was set.
Police were called to a home on Bold Springs Road after it was reported that Fanning and his wife had gotten into a physical fight.
Gwinnett County sheriff's deputies were told that Fanning hit his wife with a table and table leg, and wouldn't let her call for help or leave the home, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said the fight happened in front of Fanning's three young children.
After the fight, Fanning was seen running into a wooded area near the house, possibly with a gun.
A SWAT team and Gwinnett County police officers were called to the scene to search for Fanning and found him hiding in the brush.
When he was taken into custody, Fanning wasn't carrying a gun, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
Fanning was charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment, third-degree cruelty to children and obstruction of a 911 call. He was taken to the Gwinnett County Jail.
Fanning's conviction for accepting bribes and trafficking drugs stemmed from a scheme to sell former Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lassiter's vote on a real estate development project. Fanning is Lassiter's son.
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