Star Telegram
By James Hartley
June 01, 2022 5:18 PM
A Plano police narcotics officer has been arrested in Wylie in connection to domestic violence accusations in which he is accused of abusing the widow of a slain Richardson police officer, according to a news release from Wylie police.
Zachary Petty, a 30-year-old narcotics officer in Plano, has been accused of domestic violence against Nicole Sherrard, KRLD reported. Her husband, David Sherrard, was a Richardson police officer killed in 2018.
Petty’s attorney, Todd Shapiro, said the Plano officer is innocent and the accusation has had negative impacts on his career as a police officer.
Spokespeople with Plano police did not immediately respond to a Star-Telegram request for comment.
Wylie police said in the news release the incident started as an argument that turned physical.
Shapiro said Petty and Nicole Sherrard had been in “an on-again, off-again” relationship for about two years.
The Plano officer was originally released on a personal recognizance bond on May 22 after he was charged with Class A misdemeanor family violence. The conditions included the ordinary requirement that Petty not try to contact Nicole Sherrard, and Petty said he went home to a house he does not share with her and did not text, call or in any other way try to communicate with her.
But in that time, Shapiro said, Nicole Sherrard filed for a protective order and made allegations of violence prior to the May 22 arrest. Petty turned himself in after a warrant was issued for continuous family violence and a new bond was set for $150,000.
Petty has been placed on administrative leave by the Plano Police Department, according to KRLD.
Shapiro said he’s hopeful the accusations will be taken before a grand jury soon and that, if an indictment is returned, a trial will quickly follow and Petty’s innocence can be proven in court.
“His entire professional career rides on it, and he just didn’t do it,” Shapiro said.
David Sherrard
David Sherrard, the 37-year-old husband to Nicole Sherrard, was shot while on duty on Feb. 7, 2018, while responding to a disturbance call at the Breckenridge Point Apartments, according to Richardson police. He was a 13-year veteran and a member of the city’s SWAT team.
“He exemplified the professionalism, heroism, and strong character inherent in all Richardson police officers,” Richardson police said on a memorial page of their website dedicated to the fallen officer.
In 2019, a portion of North Central Expressway was was designated the David Sherrard Memorial Highway by the Texas Legislature and in 2020 signs were unveiled at the northern and southern limits of the city marking that stretch of road as the memorial highway.