ELYRIA — The wife of an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper has taken out a temporary domestic violence protection order against her husband after he allegedly threatened to kill her during an altercation Tuesday.

Trooper Kenneth Velez, who lives in Lorain and works as a motor vehicle inspector out of the patrol’s Medina post, was placed on administrative duty while the patrol conducts an internal investigation into the allegations, Lt. Anne Ralston said Thursday.

Velez’s gun, badge, cruiser and patrol identification have been taken from him while he is on administrative duty, which means he will wear civilian clothing and drive his own vehicle to work, Ralston said. The protection order bars the 42-year-old Velez from possessing a firearm.

The order, issued Wednesday through Lorain County Domestic Relations Court, contains a warning to law enforcement officers that Velez has access to firearms and they should proceed with caution when dealing with him.

Rachel Velez, 43, wrote in her request for the protection order that her husband “threatened my life and said I would pay for poor parenting skills because 18 year old left the house.”

A police report on the incident was not completed.

The protection order, which bars Kenneth Velez from contacting his wife, also protects the couple’s three children, including their 18-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. The minor children were left in Rachel Velez’s care, according to the order.

Kenneth Velez also is prohibited from entering the Lorain County Justice Center, where his wife works as a secretary for county Common Pleas Judge James Miraldi.

Kenneth Velez could not be reached for comment Thursday, and Rachel Velez declined to comment.

A full hearing on whether the protection order should be made more permanent is scheduled for July 20.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.