UNION COUNTY, Tennessee -- A Union County Sheriff's deputy is on leave after his wife and stepson filed orders of protection against him.
Max Smith is accused of stalking, aggression and forceful sexual behavior, according to court documents filed by his wife, Kelly, on May 2.
The two are currently in the middle of a divorce. They got married in November 2023.
The court documents filed by Kelly allege that on May 1 and 2, Max grabbed her face and forced her to kiss him, tried to force her into the shower with him, tried to prevent her from leaving their home and tried to force himself on her sexually.
Documents also said Max threatened to beat up Kelly's son and followed the two to Kelly's mother's house after the argument. Kelly said in filings that they've tried counseling to save their marriage, but that the aggressive, threatening and forceful sexual behavior has continued.
Kelly wrote in filings that in January 2025, Max put his hands around her throat and asked her if it made her fear him. She also alleges he's used video recording devices in their home to monitor her comings and goings and has tried to record private conversations between her and her son.
Kelly alleged that Max Smith threatened to use his position in the Union County Sheriff's Office against her.
"He told me that as law enforcement, he will try everything in his power to see me locked up," Kelly wrote in the order of protection. "He had asked me how it would feel being locked up next to Shannon Smith, and he would do anything in his power to see it happen."
Shannon Smith was convicted in the 2017 murder of her husband in Union County. She shot him in the face in a quarrel outside their Maynardville home.
Kelly wrote in her petition that Max became drunk and belligerent in early May after a mugshot of his began circulating on social media.
The mugshot is actually from an aggravated stalking charge that was brought against him after an incident with his first wife in Knox County in August 2021.
Court documents said officers responded to a call after reports that Smith showed up at another man's house while he and his then-wife were in the middle of a custody dispute. She was at the house.
Documents say Smith began banging on the door repeatedly and ringing the doorbell. The homeowner told officers he saw Smith ringing the doorbell and hiding behind the garage door. Smith then left the home.
When officers arrived at the house, Smith wasn't there. Officers then called Smith and he told them he'd been at the house taking pictures and filming. Smith sent a video to the officer's phone that showed him present at the home.
Smith was charged with aggravated stalking. The records were later expunged.
10News found records that show Smith's first wife filed at least two orders of protection against him during their marriage. She filed one in August 2021, days after Smith was arrested for stalking her. She filed another in August 2022.
Court filings show she alleged he had put a tracker on her car and was harassing and threatening her.
His first wife wrote in court documents, "He has said multiple times, 'The only way you're leaving is in a body bag,' and, 'They would find my body at the bottom of Norris Lake tied to a cinder block.'"
She also noted on court documents that Smith owned an AR-15, a shotgun, a revolver, a .22 and a Glock. Kelly Smith also said in her filings that Smith currently owns firearms.
State laws prohibit people who have an order of protection against them from possessing or buying a firearm.
Records show Max Smith also filed an order of protection against his first wife in September 2021, alleging she shut the door on him and their child while he was trying to buckle them. His filings said his first wife had slapped him in the face multiple times and that he had been trying to divorce her since February 2021.
Smith married Kelly in November 2023.
Personnel files show he's worked for a handful of law enforcement agencies, including the Clinton Police Department, the Oak Ridge Police Department, the Grainger County Sheriff and TWRA.
TWRA told 10News that Smith had worked for them as a part-time boating officer since 2014. A spokesperson said he was terminated after he was served with an order of protection, but they didn't specify which one.
Personnel files also show Smith worked for the Union County Jail. He also listed Sheriff Billy Breeding as a reference on another job application.
Max and Kelly Smith's next hearing regarding the orders of protection is June 18 in Union County Chancery Court. Their divorce case is currently pending.