Florida State Senator Tom Wright, a Republican, is facing accusations of aggressive behavior at a domestic violence shelter. According to an incident report from the Daytona Beach Police Department, Wright allegedly put his hand on a domestic violence shelter worker in an aggressive manner. However, the lawmaker has a different recollection of the incident.
The incident occurred when women domestic violence survivors and their children were boarding a school bus for a field trip, accompanied by counselors from the Department of Children and Families and other domestic violence state employees. As the bus driver was preparing to depart, a woman noticed Wright approaching the bus and informed him that he was not allowed to board as it was full of survivors and children who deserved safety and anonymity.
Wright clarified that he had no intentions of boarding the bus or speaking with the survivors. He simply wanted to talk to the bus driver. The woman claimed that Wright spoke to her aggressively and placed his hand on her shoulder. She asked him not to touch her, and he backed away. She further alleged that he lunged at her multiple times and tried to intimidate her by getting in her face.
Another witness recalled seeing Wright approach the bus and noticed his arm extended, but couldn’t recall what happened next. According to this witness, Wright aggressively approached the woman and refused to de-escalate the situation.
The police were requested to trespass Wright from the property, and the senator was warned to stay away until further notice. Wright left the property before speaking to the police but was later found at a nearby store. He stated that he approached the bus to speak with the driver when the woman started yelling at him, denying him access to the bus. The senator claimed that she continued to scream at him as he tried to explain that he had no intention of boarding the bus. Wright admitted to putting his hand on her shoulder to convey that he was not planning to get on the bus, but she asked him not to touch her and walked away.
The woman who accused Wright of aggressive behavior refused medical treatment and did not allow officers to photograph her shoulder, stating that there were no visible injuries.
It is essential to note that there are differing accounts of the incident. While the shelter worker and one witness claim that Wright behaved aggressively, another witness neither saw him physically touch the woman nor fully recalled the events that transpired.
The situation remains under investigation, and it’s important to consider multiple perspectives to gain a complete understanding of what occurred.
