Charlie Crist’s Campaign Manager Resigned after Being Arrested in Domestic Violence Case
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Austin John Durrer, who served campaign manager to Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist until earlier this week, was arrested in a domestic violence case just one day before he resigned from his post, according to a new report.
NBC News reported that Durrer was arrested Tuesday on a second-degree misdemeanor assault charge in connection with a dispute at a home in Cambridge, Md. Durrer, who previously served as Crist’s chief of staff in his congressional office, told the outlet the arrest stemmed from a dispute with the mother of his child, Jackie Whisman. Durrer pressed charges against Whisman, whom he lives with, the following day, per NBC News.
“Very sadly, an incident took place this week at our home that we both regret. We are both working to drop legal charges and move forward,” the pair said in a joint statement to the outlet. “Our primary focus at this time is our daughter, our greatest joy, and we appreciate privacy and respect as we navigate this as a family.”
Whisman told authorities there had been an argument that turned physical with 43-year-old Durrer. She had “signs of physical injury to her face, consistent with what she reported,” according to the report.
Durrer was taken to a county district court commissioner immediately after his arrest, who found in a first-appearance hearing that there was probable cause to support the misdemeanor assault charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $500 fine. Durrer was released that day after posting a $10,000 bond, according to the report.
The Crist campaign announced Durrer’s resignation one day after his arrest, saying only that his exit was “to focus on a family matter.”
Durrer was ordered to have no contact with his child’s mother and to surrender firearms, if he has any. He is set to appear in court on December 7.
Durrer’s departure from the campaign came just three weeks ahead of Election Day. A RealClearPolitics polling average has Crist trailing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis by 9.2 percentage points.
