Derik Ford was the Washougal mayoral candidate endorsed by the Clark County Republican Women. He withdrew from the race after he was arrested by Camas police for domestic violence. They were called in as the Washougal Police were concerned about the conflict of interest as he was running for mayor.
Washington has a blanket primary. He came in second which put him on the November ballot. Although he suspended his campaign in September, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.
The police saw marks and scratches on his wife but she declined medical attention. She told them they argued and he assaulted her. When, they arrested him he denied assaulting her, claiming that she assaulted him.
He was arrested on September 15, 2021. He pled not guilty. A judge issued a no-contact order. Just a few weeks later, in early October, he was arrested again, for violating the order. He again pleaded not guilty.
As often happens, this led to more press interest in his past and several troubling stories came out. Most pertinent, he had been married before and pleaded guilty to assaulting his first wife. He was on probation for a year.
On October 15th, he was found in an Ohio hotel room. His death was ruled a suicide.
- The Oregonian: Washougal mayoral candidate arrested on accusation of assaulting his wife, police say
- Camas-Washougal Post Record: Washougal mayoral candidate’s past draws questions
- The Columbian: Former mayor candidate Ford pleads not guilty to violating no-contact order
- The Columbian: Former Washougal mayoral candidate’s death ruled a suicide
