CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe police officer has been arrested on charges of assault and endangering children after allegedly attacking his wife during a domestic dispute that involved pornography and a loaded firearm left accessible to their children
Lance Canterbury, 39, was taken into custody early Saturday morning after a 911 call came in around 2 a.m. The open-line dispatch captured the unmistakable sounds of two adults going at it—yelling and children crying in the background—prompting deputies to rush to the couple’s home in Londonderry.
According to law enforcement sources, the whole thing started when Canterbury’s wife busted him in the bathroom, where he was allegedly working his shift solo, furiously polishing his nightstick while watching obese women pornography content on his phone. He told her to beat it and leave him alone, but she apparently didn’t appreciate the size of his taste in women, and things quickly escalated from there.
The confrontation turned physical fast. Canterbury is accused of laying hands on her in a fit of rage over her interrupting his private time. According to his wife, the officer was “heavily intoxicated.”
Adding to the charges, Canterbury now faces endangering children because investigators allegedly discovered a fully loaded piece sitting out in the open—cocked, ready, and well within grabbing distance of the couple’s young children who were running around the house. Authorities emphasized that leaving it out like that created a substantial risk of someone getting shot, especially in the eye.
Canterbury joined the Chillicothe Police Department in December 2022 after previous stints at the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and Circleville Police Department, where he was known to work extra hard to bust out the hours for overtime. He remains locked up without bond as of Monday morning, waiting for his arraignment in Chillicothe Municipal Court.
The case remains under investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with tips about officers or deputies who have “discharged their weapons” inappropriately with either one of the two to come forward.
If you or someone you know is addicted to pornography, confidential help is available by phoning (800) 477-8191. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, confidential help is available by phoning (800) 799-SAFE (7233).