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A Mississippi Republican is facing domestic abuse charges after punching his wife.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on May 24, 2019
A Republican lawmaker from Mississippi is out on bail after being arrested on domestic violence charges this week. Doug McLeod, a state representative, was taken into custody after allegedly punching his wife in the face in a drunken rage. She told police that he often has violent episodes while drunk. This particular assault happened because he wanted to have sex and he thought she was undressing too slowly. So far McLeod hasn’t spoken to any reporters about the incident but members of his own party, including leadership in the legislature, are not happy with him. The Speaker of the Mississippi House and the governor of the state, both of whom are Republicans as well, have already called on him to resign Who is Doug McLeod and why was he arrested? Read on for all the details.
1. He wanted sex
According to reports from the Sun Herald, McLeod wanted to have sex with his wife the night the incident occurred. He was already drunk and when she didn’t undress quickly enough, his wife says he: “just snapped,” which was not unusual when he was under the influence of alcohol. She alleges that he punched her in the face, resulting in a bloody nose. Police found a bloodstain in the bedroom when they arrived.
McLeod wanted sex the night of the assault.
2. Drunk
When police arrived on the scene, McLeod opened the door with an alcoholic beverage in his hand and was visibly drunk. “Mr. McLeod had slurred speech and walked slow in a zigzag pattern,” according to the police report. Officers also said that he was trying to explain the situation to them but he was so inebriated that they had trouble understanding him and he needed to hold on to a handrail to avoid falling down, reports the Sun Herald.
McLeod was drunk and belligerent to police.
3. Injuries
McLeod’s wife told cops she had run out of their room after the assault and went and hid in the room of another woman who was in the home at the time. The other woman, who has not been named, recounted that McLeod pounded on her bedroom door and threatened to kill the couple's dog if his wife didn’t come back out. Officers offered to have an ambulance transfer Mrs. McLeod to the hospital but she declined, however she said she would go in the following day to make sure all of her injuries were documented, reports the Sun Herald.
The police report is available online.
4. Arrest
McLeod was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence and booked in the George County jail by early Sunday morning. He is out of jail on a $1,000 signature bond. He did not respond to questions when reporters asked him for comment.
The injuries resulted in a domestic battery charge.
5. Political history
The 58-year-old McLeod has represented George and Stone counties in the state legislature since 2012. He is a member of the Republican party and was recently a co-sponsor of a bill to restrict abortion after fetal-pole cardiac activity can be detected. That usually occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, before many people realize they are pregnant at all.
Social media is highly critical of McLeod.
6. Republican response
McLeod’s own party isn’t planning to stand behind him if the allegations are true. "If the allegations against Rep. McLeod are true, he should resign immediately. Violence in any relationship is unacceptable, and I condemn this conduct in the strongest possible terms," the state's GOP chairman, Lucien Smith, CBS news reports. The state's House speaker, Philip Gunn said: “I have attempted to contact Rep. McLeod to request his resignation, if in fact, these allegations are true. These actions are unacceptable for anyone.” The office of the Republican governor of the state also rebuked McLeod. “Governor Bryant believes that acts of abuse of any kind is reprehensible,” said Bobby Morgan, director of public affairs for the governor. “He trusts local authorities to look into and thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Republican leadership is calling for his resignation.
In the event that the assault case goes to court, under Mississippi law, McLeod won’t face serious consequences for punching his wife in the face. The penalty for simple domestic assault is up to six months in jail or a $500 fine, or both. It is not known at this time is McLeod has a lawyer, how he intends to plead, or if he plans to resigned from his elected office.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.