Shelby County Commissioner Justin Ford sat in his elected seat Wednesday, one day after facing a judge in court.
Tuesday, Ford entered an Alford Plea for domestic violence in connection to his April arrest for domestic violence. A judge sentenced him to nearly a year of probation. An Alford Plea is a guilty plea where the person doesn’t admit to the criminal act.
In response, Ford’s fellow commissioners met in closed session to discuss possible punishment options.
Commissioners said their hands are pretty much tied on what they can do on their own, but the door remains open for other officials to consider a lawsuit to remove Ford from his district nine seat.
“This has been just a very difficult situation for everybody involved,” says commissioner Heidi Shafer.
“I take that plea at face value, the judge accepted that plea,” says commissioner Van Turner.
Police arrested Ford in April, after a witness said the county commissioner pulled a woman by her hair, punched, and choked her outside a Church’s chicken restaurant.
“There’s no way to paint a pretty picture about domestic violence, there’s just not, it’s real,” says Shafer.
Schafer said since the Ford’s Alford Plea is a misdemeanor, only the state attorney general, district attorney, or county attorney can attempt to oust Ford from office.
“What we are allowed to do is what we have done so far, and we’ll see if anything gets taken further by the entities that are actually empowered to do anything,” says Shafer.
Ford came in at the tail end of Wednesday morning’s county committee meeting.
“I’m not going to debate it,” he said.
A sheriff’s deputy blocked television reporters from approaching Ford for comment after the meeting, and he ducked out of a door and out of the building.
Local 24 reached out to Justin Ford’s attorney but he was out of his office and not available for comment.
Shelby County commissioners could still consider a censure, or public reprimand, but it’s unclear if that will happen.
