The question of whether a Ramsey County sheriff's deputy will face charges after an alleged domestic dispute is being referred to another county because of concerns about possible conflict of interest, a Ramsey County attorney's office spokeswoman said.

Thomas R. Johnson, 52, was arrested Sunday at his St. Paul home on suspicion of making terroristic threats. He was released Monday pending further investigation.

Police spokesman Tom Walsh said that Sunday's incident involved the deputy's wife, but he declined to give further details.

It was not known Tuesday which county will review the case.

Johnson, a former St. Paul police officer, was hired by the sheriff's office in 1998 after an eight-year career during which he reportedly faced 14 internal affairs complaints, four of which were sustained.

Sheriff Bob Fletcher told the Star Tribune then that the "totality" of Johnson's performance, and strong job reviews by superiors, outweighed any disciplinary concerns.

His county personnel record includes a written reprimand for misuse of an office computer, as well as a thank-you letter from the widow of a sheriff's deputy who was killed in a 2005 motorcycle crash.

Johnson initially was hired to guard county jail inmates, but he now is stationed at Regions Hospital, said sheriff's office spokeswoman Holli Drinkwine.

ANTHONY LONETREE