A Mississippi lawmaker has been found not guilty following a charge of domestic violence.
Rep. Douglas McLeod was found not guilty on the charges that stemmed from an incident with his wife on May 18th. According to the Sun Herald, Michele McLeod testified on behalf of her husband and said that a combination of wine and prescription-strength ibuprofen led to him accidentally hitting her in the face.
At the time of the charges, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn called for McLeod’s resignation if the allegations were true. Following Tuesday’s verdict, Gunn issued the following statement.
“This whole situation is still very concerning, not only to me, but to many other members of the House of Representatives. The court may have found Representative McLeod not guilty, but as a member of the Mississippi Legislature to find yourself in this situation – it is still an issue. As we have done with other matters, we will refer this to the House Ethics Committee for further consideration,” Speaker Gunn said.
Mississippi GOP Chairman Lucien Smith echoed Speaker Gunn’s call for further investigation into the matter.
“The Mississippi Republican Party continues to condemn domestic violence in the strongest possible terms. I share Speaker Gunn’s concerns about Rep. McLeod’s actions and applaud him for referring this matter to the ethics committee,” Smith said.
The Republican lawmaker has represented District 107 (George & Stone) since 2012.
