See also: Daniel Patterson Calls it Quits, Resigns From House
See also: Ethics Investigators Say Daniel Patterson Has Got to Go
See also: Daniel Patterson Responds to Ethics Complaint
Former Democratic state Representative Daniel Patterson was acquitted of the domestic-violence charges -- part of an ethics complaint that would eventually cause him to resign from the House.
"Court finds me NOT GUILTY on all DV charges pushed by Tucson City Atty & haters," Patterson posted on Twitter. "Truth & justice win! AZ politicians dissed my voters."
While it was initially believed that the ethics complaint lodged against him was created over those charges, that did not end up being the case.
Among other things, a report done on behalf of the ethics committee claimed Patterson routinely ignored House rules, verbally abused, assaulted, and harassed a bunch of people at the Capitol, was possibly violating court orders, and tried to trade sex for his vote on a bill.
The report also noted a Facebook post from Patterson's ex-girlfriend -- the one who claimed domestic violence -- recanting her story of being a victim, which seemed pretty odd to many people.
Patterson told New Times the day that word got out about the domestic-violence allegations that they were "completely false" claims, and later posted on Twitter that the accusations were "lies from person w bad mental problems & violent criminal history trying to blackmail me."
Still, the ethics complaint hinged on much more than the domestic-violence allegations against him, although Patterson maintained the charges and his ex-girlfriend's attempted order of protection against him were the reasoning behind it.
Patterson continued to insist throughout the ethics process that he deserved a full hearing with witnesses testimony and the whole bit, calling for "proper due process." Some of his fellow legislators have said he's been given all the due process necessary.
Democratic representatives -- Patterson's former caucus-mates, until he switched his affiliation to Independent -- had been calling for his resignation for weeks, and he eventually resigned in April.
"I have been forced to resign due to the fact that the House has become a very hostile work environment for me," Patterson said in his resignation letter. "Due to this, I am no longer able to serve my constituents in the way they deserve."
Patterson had applied to be a member of a planning and zoning commission in Silver City, New Mexico, in May -- until folks found out about it.
He now lists himself as a regional director of the non-profit group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
