The mayor of a Tennessee town was arrested after reportedly assaulting his girlfriend’s son over yard work money. Burns Mayor Landon Shaun Mathis, 45, was charged with domestic violence following the confrontation on Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WSMV from the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office.
Landon Shaun Mathis allegedly began the fight over yard work payment.
Officers from Dickson County went to a domestic disturbance incident on 1411 Johnson Street in Burns on September 24, 2023, where they reportedly learned from the victim that an argument erupted over the cash he claimed he owed for removing weeds in the yard, followed by a fight.
The victim stated that Landon Shaun Mathis allegedly agreed to pay him $40 for yard maintenance but then broke his word once the task was completed.
The young victim, known only as KP in the arrest document obtained by WSMV from the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office, stated that he walked inside the house to talk to his mother about the payment when Landon allegedly attacked him.
According to the affidavit, while the kid was talking with his mother, Landon got up from the kitchen table and came towards him, seizing him by the shirt collar and pulling him down onto the couch.
Mayor accused of violent assault on child over yard work payment dispute
Mathis allegedly continued the attack and left marks on the right side of the victim’s neck. According to the arrest affidavit:
“He stated that he was standing near the couch when Landon got up from the kitchen table while he was talking to his mother about being paid and that Landon came and grabbed his shirt near his neck and pushed him down onto the couch, according to KP.”
According to the arrest affidavit, the victim’s mother ordered them to stop and her son to go to his room: “KP stated that his mother told them to break it up and KP to go to his room.”
While the child began to move away, Landon purposefully stomped on his feet, causing the victim to push him away. Landon then allegedly slammed the victim by going on top of him in a neck grip and twisting and pulling on his nose, creating pain.
Burns Mayor Landon Shaun Mathis has been in office since 2012
Landon Shaun Mathis has been the mayor of Burns, Tennessee, a town of about 1,500 people, since 2012.
According to the New York Post, Landon was declared a hero on August 11, 2016, after saving the life of the town’s former mayor, who had a massive heart attack.
Landon reportedly did mouth-to-mouth CPR on his old political foe Jeff Bishop after the former mayor passed out when the two were working on a flooring job together after the former mayor began working for Mathis’ company.
Landon Shaun Mathis was arrested and booked at the Dickson County Jail on September 24, 2023, following the altercation.
