MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A county commissioner accused of choking his girlfriend at a fast food restaurant in Tennessee has reached a plea agreement in his case.

The Commercial Appeal reports that Shelby County Commissioner Justin Ford entered an Alford plea Tuesday to misdemeanor domestic assault. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days probation.

Under the Alford plea, Ford acknowledges he could be found guilty in a trial but he is allowed to maintain his innocence.

Ford faced more serious charges of aggravated assault and false imprisonment. Police said Ford’s girlfriend told officers he attacked her during an argument in the parking lot of a Church’s Chicken in Memphis.

Ford was elected county commissioner in 2010. Ford’s uncle, Harold Ford Sr., and his cousin, Harold Ford Jr., are former U.S. congressmen.