After the DOJ's investigation, State Rep. Josue Ortega (D-Wilmington) is charged with offensive touching in connection with a May domestic abuse incident.
According to State Police, Ortega turned himself in last week to the state police's Wilmington station. He was charged with a misdemeanor offense, for punching a woman in the face while in a car with her in a Wilmington parking lot in May.
He appeared in a Justice of the Peace Court the same day and was released on $100 bond and a no contact order with the victim.
In June, House Democratic leadership shared a statement that the House Ethics Committee would convene to review a complaint they filed on the incident. The Ethics Committee held a meeting in July.
Contents of the hearings are confidential. A House leadership statement said it will share information once the investigation is finished. House Speaker Melissa Minor Brown (D-New Castle) said in a statement Thursday that she maintains the House Dem leadership's June statement. She said the legal process needs to take place and she has no further comment while the criminal investigation and proceedings are ongoing.
Ortega has filed for reelection in his Wilmington district and could not immediately be reached for comment.
