A guilty plea was entered by Joe Pata, the former Matthews mayor pro tem, on Tuesday morning for charges of assault on a female following his arrest in July.
Pata had been working as a Matthews Board Commissioner when he was arrested.
Police had been called to Pata’s house, located on Reverdy Oaks Drive, on July 24 around 11:30 p.m., investigators said.
When they arrived, officers said they saw a woman who appeared injured and physically assaulted. The woman had non-life-threatening head injuries and was taken for treatment to a local hospital, police said.
Pata was arrested for assault and taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail were he has held on $2,500 bond and put on a 48-hour domestic violence hold.
A week after, Pata sent a letter of resignation to Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor. The letter was received within hours of a special Town Board meeting to talk about Pata’s future.
