Dickerson’s Domestic Disturbance
Republican 7th Congressional District Eric Dickerson says police did the right thing when they arrested him in 1991 arrest on domestic violence charges. Dickerson told me today he had come home from a business trip to find that his son had wrecked the car. An argument ensued between him and his wife. The shouting was fierce and Dickerson says his 13-year old daughter called police. He was arrested and processed but the charges were dismissed, as there was no physical violence. Dickerson and his wife separated nine years ago, but he says they remain cordial.
The charges have resurfaced in the 2006 campaign. Dickerson says the Julia Carson campaign brought the allegations to the Indianapolis Star’s attention. And the paper interviewed him. Despite the bad publicity, Dickerson says he will not go negative, but instead promising to run a clean campaign.
I have to admit, I’m confused by what Dickerson’s opponents had hoped to accomplish here. It would have been one thing had there been a conviction or a pattern of domestic violence. Heck, it would have been one thing had the charge surfaced yesterday or in the past couple years. But it didn’t. It occurred 15 years ago and when confronted about it, Dickerson admitted it, said the cops did the right thing and that he bears no ill will toward Julia.
I’m not sure what anyone hoped to accomplish by this, but somehow I think they achieved the opposite.
