A St. Paul, Minnesota city council candidate was arrested after he allegedly posted a topless picture of his wife on his campaign website without her consent. Police say they had received a tip that Republican David Martinez posted the image in the site’s blog section, along with a link to a copy of a restraining order she already had against him.
According to local WCCO, Martinez’s wife got the restraining order after he allegedly grabbed her by the neck and threw her into a shelving unit on July 4.
The following day, police reportedly escorted Martinez out of a public library after a confrontation between him and the staff, and he was then banned for a month. The day after, he was ejected from Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, and barred from returning to the stadium for a year after a physical altercation with ballpark security.
Martinez was arrested on a charge of felony non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images for allegedly posting the photo. He was scheduled to face off with fellow candidates Shirley Erstad and Mitra Nelson at a forum on Wednesday. As of Monday morning, he was in jail following his arrest.
The election is set for August 14. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter requested that Martinez drop out of the race, saying in a statement:
David Martinez’s behavior is disturbing and has no place in our city. I wish the best to his family and our entire community as we heal from the harm his acts have caused. He should drop out of the city council race immediately.
Martinez’s campaign website appears to have been taken down for now.
[Image via WCCO screengrab]
