Crist campaign manager arrested in domestic incident prior to resignation

The manager for Charlie Crist’s gubernatorial campaign was arrested shortly before he resigned from the campaign this week, according to court records, in a domestic violence case.

Austin Durrer was charged with second-degree assault on Tuesday in Cambridge, Maryland, according to court records. A woman listing the same address as Durrer, Jackie Whisman, was also criminally charged with second-degree assault for an incident on the same date, and Durrer’s name was listed as a “complainant” in her case in online court records.

The two cases are described in an online Dorchester County Circuit Court docket as domestic violence cases.

On Thursday, the Crist campaign said Durrer was leaving because of a family matter.

In a statement released Friday, a Crist spokesperson said the campaign removed him from his position as soon as it became aware of the arrest.

“Mr. Durrer was dismissed as soon as the campaign learned of this situation,” Samantha Ramirez, Crist’s spokesperson, said.

NBC News was first to report Durrer’s arrest.

In a separate statement sent from Durrer’s cellphone and attributed to Durrer and Whisman, the two said they were working to drop the charges.

“Very sadly, an incident took place this week at our home that we both regret,” Durrer and Whisman said. “We are both working to drop legal charges and move forward. Our primary focus at this time is our daughter, our greatest joy, and we appreciate privacy and respect as we navigate this as a family.”

Crist’s running mate, Karla Hernandez-Mats, canceled a Friday afternoon campaign event in Tampa.

Miami Herald staff writer Bianca Padró Ocasio, Tampa Bay Times politics editor Emily Mahoney and Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau staff writers Lawrence Mower and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 4:52 PM.