Doug McLeod was arrested in 2017 for hitting his wife in the face. She claimed it was because she didn’t undress quickly enough when he wanted sex. There is police video of her bloody face and her claims, while crying, that this happens often when he drinks. He is still in office at least until 2024 as he ran unopposed.
“Anything can trigger him to get like that. He lost it. He gets like that when he drinks too much.” That is what she told Deputy Robert Karg the night McLeod was arrested. As often happens in domestic violence cases, she recanted, testifying that her husband had drunk less than two glasses of wine but mixed them with prescription ibuprofen. “She said he was ‘in a state of delirium’ when one of his limbs, ‘probably his arm,’ hit her face.”
McLeod chose his case would be decided by a judge rather than a jury and the judge acquitted him despite the filmed footage from the night it happened and the statement from another woman that she locked his wife in her room with her while McLeod banged on the door and threatened to kill her dog.
After his acquittal, the House Majority Leader, from his own party said that did not assuage his concerns, saying it would be referred to the House Ethics Committee.
“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.” Legally they were not allowed to expel him, but he was given only one committee assignment.
- USA Today: Report: Mississippi lawmaker punched his wife because she undressed too slowly for sex
- Clarion Ledger: UPDATE: Mississippi lawmaker Douglas McLeod found not guilty of domestic violence
The Greenwood Commonwealth
Greenwood, Mississippi · Saturday, February 22, 2020