Honsdale, Pa. ( Associated Press) — A Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania appeared in court Friday over allegations by his wife that he was constantly verbally abusing her, following her at work and keeping her away from family. Had been.
Woman received a temporary protection-from-abuse order Against Teddy Daniels, who is running for the GOP nomination in this month’s primary. Daniels, who was ordered to stay away from his home and was denied any contact with his wife, has claimed the allegations are baseless and that he is using “political terrorism” to damage his campaign. were the target.
The hearing on the protective order took place Friday at the Wayne County Courthouse in Pocono Mountains, where Daniels and his wife have a gated community home.
Daniels, 47, is one of nine candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the state’s May 17 primary, running with the support of a leading candidate for governor, Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano.
Both are vocal supporters of former President Donald Trump. Daniels has said that he, like Maastriano, was outside the US Capitol during the insurgent riots on January 6, 2021.
In a handwritten petition, the wife told a judge that Daniels, who is 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds (1.9 m and 163 kg), “is always angry at me” and “constantly” curses him, asking him to kick. makes threats. and kicked his son out of the house if he lost the campaign. The woman said he followed her at work, “yelled at me, made me cry” and that her anger toward him caused her to have a panic attack.
Last August, she said, Daniels grabbed her shirt, pulled it to his face and said, “Didn’t you ever talk to me like that,” the petition said. His wife said he also threatened to kill the family dog and made two prior attempts to take his own life.
For his part, Daniels has said he was “swatted,” or targeted with bogus calls to police delivered to his home. Without offering evidence, he alleged Rolling Stone magazine, which first published the wording of the April 26 protection-of-abuse order, “was closely involved with a series of phone calls made to police from outside In which false police were reported against me at my house. Rolling Stone has said it sticks to its story.
This week, Daniels’ attorney, Jennifer Gilliland Wansdale, said in a video posted on Facebook that she had interviewed several witnesses and planned to present evidence in court.
The Rolling Stone article was “a politically hit act designed to try to take down Teddy Daniels just before the primary election,” she said.
President Judge Janine Edwards granted a temporary protective order, which also required Daniels’ wife to be granted temporary custody of their child, and ordered Daniels to turn to his guns.
