AUBURN, Ala. — City prosecutor Rick Davidson filed a motion in municipal court on Wednesday dismissing a misdemeanor domestic violence charge against State Sen. Tom Whatley (R-Auburn).
“I didn’t feel the case warranted prosecution,” said Davidson.
Whatley had been arrested and charged with third degree domestic violence — a Class A misdemeanor — after a police officer claimed he saw the senator shove his fiancé to the ground.
Whatley strongly disputed the officer’s version of events.
“(T)he police were in my neighborhood, apparently because of a report of a homeless person sleeping in the area,” Whatley said in a statement released through his attorney the day after the arrest. “Lindsay (Waits) and I were out on my back porch and were involved in a discussion, but we were not violent to one another.”
Waits corroborated Whatley’s statement, saying that she considered the matter to have been a misunderstanding.
“I would like to state, very adamantly, that I did not call Auburn City Police with a report of domestic violence on Tom,” she said. “Tuesday night we were involved in a discussion outside Tom’s house. Apparently, the police were nearby on another matter and heard us and came, even though neither one of us nor any neighbors had requested assistance.
“There was absolutely no violence involved by either party. I cannot state enough what a warm, loving relationship Tom and I enjoy. Neither would ever hurt the other and I consider this matter to have been a misunderstanding.”
Whatley was re-elected to a second term in the Alabama Senate in November.
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— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 3, 2014
