North Dakota Legislator Arrested On Simple Assault Charges
A Bismarck state lawmaker is accused of assaulting his wife over the weekend.
Police say Rep. Dave Weiler is charged with misdemeanor simple assault. He`s accused of pushing his wife Nicole to the ground in a parking lot late Friday night.
The 43-year-old Republican lawmaker represents south Bismarck and some adjacent areas of Burleigh County.
Weiler calls the incident an unfortunate private matter and says he and his wife are working things out. He says he and his wife are hoping the charge is dropped.
A person doesn’t want to jump to conclusions in cases like these. In a lot of ways we’ve gone overboard in laws against domestic violence, sometimes requiring officers to make arrests even in situations that are little more than shoving matches between combative couples. It’d be a real shame to see someone’s life and reputation ruined simply because one marital fight got a tiny bit out of hand.
Not that there’s any excuse for domestic violence in general. Regardless, let’s hope Rep. Weiler and his wife straighten things out and that it was no more serious than a small tussle.
