State Sen. Darius Brown charged after punching woman in face, police say

Delaware State Sen. Darius J. Brown faces charges after police say he punched a woman May 15.

Brown, 39, of Wilmington, who represents east Wilmington in the Delaware State Senate, and the woman, 44, were at Taverna Rustic Italian Restaurant on Silverside Road, Wilmington, at 6:20 p.m. when they began arguing over a social media post, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier of the Delaware State Police.

The woman told police she had been punched in the side of the face by Brown; the side of her face was red, but did not require medical attention, Fournier said.

After assaulting the woman, Brown got up from the booth where they were seated and threw a glass of water, which broke into pieces, Fournier said. Brown then exited the establishment before police arrived.

Troopers from Troop 1 obtained warrants for Brown’s arrest, and Brown turned himself in May 18 to Troop 1 where he was charged with offensive touching and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

Brown was released on his own recognizance with an order not to contact the woman.

Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola issued a statement following news of Brown’s arrest.

“Accusations of domestic violence are serious and in direct conflict with the values of the Delaware Senate Democratic Caucus. However, a presumption of innocence is one of the most sacred principles in the American criminal justice system,” he said. 

On May 20, Sokola announced that he had removed Brown from his chairman position on the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

“Yesterday, I shared with Sen. Brown that, effective immediately, I would be removing him from his chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Kyle Evans Gay will preside over the Senate Judiciary Committee going forward. I believe this step is necessary to allow the committee to continue its critical work without distraction,” Sokola said in a statement. 

Brown, a Democrat, was elected in 2018, and remains vice-chair of the Veterans Affairs and Elections and Government Affairs senate committees. He is also a member of the Capital Improvement Committee.

Jane Brady, chairwoman of the Delaware Republican Party, has called for Brown to resign.

“The behavior that has been reported, if true, is reprehensible and warrants his resignation,” said Brady in a press release.  “If Senator Brown refuses to resign, we call on the Senate to conduct an inquiry and expel him for conduct unbecoming an elected official.”

Brady cited the bipartisan effort to expel former Republican Rep. John Adkins of Millsboro. “The circumstances are remarkably similar to the Adkins matter. In that case, Republicans recognized the need to act and did so. The Democrats should hold the members of their caucus to the same high standard,” she said.

In 2006, then Republican representative Atkins, was stopped in Ocean City for suspected driving under the influence and a few hours later was charged with offensive touching in connection with an argument with a former wife. He resigned his seat but was re-elected in 2008, running as a Democrat. Atkins retained the seat by 69 seats in a 2012 challenge by Republican Rich Collins, but lost the seat by 352 votes in 2014 to Collins, who has held the seat since.