A Covington High School assistant principal is charged with domestic assault and child abuse or neglect after a disturbance at his home Sunday evening, according to Tipton County Sheriff’s Office records.

Jeffery Odell Nix Jr., 42, was arrested Nov. 1 and booked into the Tipton County Jail at 8:18 p.m.

Deputies responded to a home on Oil Mill Road at about 5:37 p.m. for a possible domestic disturbance, according to an affidavit of complaint filed in Tipton County General Sessions Court. Nix had reportedly left before they arrived. Deputies found a woman crying on the front porch with a visible red mark on the left side of her face.

She told deputies Nix had come home intoxicated and lay down on the bed. When she pulled the blankets off to do laundry, he allegedly became angry, grabbed her by the jaw and threw her onto the couch. She said he did not choke her.

After she said she would call law enforcement, Nix reportedly stood over her, yelled and threatened to beat her, then pulled back his fist and said, “If I’m going to jail, it’s going to be for a good reason.” She gave deputies an audio recording of the threats.

A juvenile who witnessed the incident tried to stop it by hitting Nix in the back several times with a hoverboard, she told deputies. She said Nix believed she was the one who hit him, then grabbed her by the arms and threw her to the floor.

Nix also allegedly went through the house throwing a vacuum cleaner and breaking speakers and other items.

When Nix returned while deputies were still there, he told them he had come home and lay down when the woman started yelling at him. He admitted throwing and breaking items but denied any physical altercation.

Deputies determined Nix was the primary aggressor based on the statements and the injuries they saw, the affidavit states. It also includes a Tennessee Department of Children’s Services case number.

Nix was released at 7 a.m. Monday after posting a $15,000 bond on the domestic assault charge through a bail bonding company. He was cited on the child abuse charge, which carried no bond.

Paper Folds reached out to the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office Monday morning for details. They said it could not release details at this time.

Nix has been an assistant principal at Covington High since 2025, according to his staff biography on the school’s website. Less than two weeks ago, on Oct. 21, the school announced on its Facebook page that he had been named its Assistant Principal of the Year.

He began his career in 2009 as a history teacher and football and track coach at Brighton Middle School. He moved to Covington High in 2013, where he taught history and coached football and track. He is a 2003 graduate of Covington High.

The family recently opened Hatchie River Bar & Grill on the Covington square, in the former Cellar restaurant.

Paper Folds News has reached out to Tipton County Schools and will update this story when they respond.

Criminal charges are accusations. Nix is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Nix is scheduled to appear in Tipton County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call 911 in an emergency. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-799-7233 or online at thehotline.org.