CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Fewer than three weeks before Election Day, Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist's campaign manager resigned after he was arrested over a dispute with the mother of his child, NBC News reports.
According to court records and Amanda Leonard, the prosecutor in the case, 43-year-old Austin John Durrer was arrested Tuesday in Maryland, the day before he resigned. The mother of his child, Jackie Whisman, had marks on her face from the dispute, a probable cause affidavit reads.
"Austin Durrer has departed the campaign to focus on a family matter," Crist's campaign spokesperson Samantha Ramirez told Florida Politics.
In a statement issued Friday to 10 Tampa Bay, Ramirez said Durrer was "dismissed as soon as the campaign learned of the situation."
NBC News reports that Leonard said Durrer was arrested at the residence "on the spot" because the police have the ability to do so if officers see signs of physical injury when responding to a domestic violence-related call and the allegations are within a 14-hour period.
Leonard also told NBC News that Whisman indicated there had been an argument that turned physical with Durrer. There were signs of physical injury to her face, consistent with what she reported.
In a joint statement from Durrer and Whisman to 10 Tampa Bay, they said:
"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. 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."
Online court records for the Circuit Court of Maryland show a final hearing scheduled for Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m.