Ernest Ford: Florida Man Shoves Girlfriend During Impeachment Fight, Cops Say

ernest ford

Manatee County Sheriff\'s Office Ernest Ford.

Ernest Edwin Ford is the Florida man accused of assaulting his longtime girlfriend during a fight over national politics.

They were allegedly arguing about the ongoing impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump when the verbal spat escalated into a physical altercation.

The 62-year-old man was arrested at his home in Sarasota, Florida, on December 6, 2019.

Here’s what you need to know.


1. Police: Ernest Ford Is Accused Of Shoving His Girlfriend to the Floor During a Fight Over Impeachment

ernest ford arrest report

Ernest Ford arrest report

A deputy from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department responded to Ernest Ford’s home in Sarasota after receiving a call about a domestic violence situation. The responding officer, Keyion Laws, wrote in the probable cause affidavit that the altercation occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Friday, December 6.

The officer explained that according to Ford’s girlfriend, the couple had been verbally arguing about the ongoing impeachment hearings. The affidavit does not provide details about what exactly they disagreed about or which side either one of them took. (For context: There were no publicly televised hearings about impeachment on December 6. That day, the White House announced that neither President Trump nor his attorneys would participate in the hearings taking place in the House Judiciary Committee).

The victim told Officer Laws that as they were arguing, Ford walked into the bedroom, which was situated at the back of their mobile home. She followed him into the bedroom “to confront the defendant.” She said that Ford grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her onto the ground.


2. Affidavit: The Victim Told Police, ‘This Should Not Happen Again’

ernest ford arrest report

Ernest Ford’s girlfriend was identified in the arrest report and it noted that the couple has been in a romantic relationship for the past seven years. They live together at the Villa Del Sol Mobile Home Community in Sarasota. According to its website, the community is designed for people 55 and older.

The victim scraped her knee when she was pushed onto the ground. The officer wrote in the report that he observed that the victims’ knee was red and “had a small piece of skin protruding from the area of injury.”

She told the officer that she had called the police in order to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. She was quoted in the arrest report as saying, “This should not happen again.”


3. Ernest Ford Was Arrested & Charged With Battery

ernest ford

Ernest Ford.

Ernest Ford was arrested and booked into jail around 10:15 p.m. He spent the night behind and was released the following afternoon.

According to the arrest report, Ford faces a first-degree misdemeanor charge of Battery – Touch or Strike.

A search of court records in Manatee County does not bring up any prior arrests. Ford was cited in August of 2019 for driving with expired registration and appears to have paid a fine.


4. An Ernest Edwin Ford Was Charged With Domestic Violence in California In 1997

ernest ford

Montery County Superior Court

Ernest Edwin Ford was previously accused of domestic violence in California. A search of online records shows that Ford used to live in Monterey County, which is located in central California, south of San Jose.

The Monterey County Superior Court website includes a case that was filed on May 20, 1997. It was listed as a domestic violence case and that the charge was a felony, but the website does not include the full documents or provide extra details about the accusation.

It’s possible that the charge was dismissed. The public record only states that the case was closed and does not specify where a plea was entered or whether police dropped the case.


5. Edwin Ford Has Described Himself as Self-Employed

Edwin Ford appears to have grown up in central California. On his Facebook page, he notes that he attended Pacific Grove High School in Monterey County from 1971 until 1975.

Ford described himself as self-employed on his Facebook profile, but the page appears to be out-of-date. Ford had written that he ran a “historical wooden fishing boat docked at Dolphin Isle Marina.” That marina is located in Fort Bragg, California. A search of online records indicates that Ford lived there around 2013.

The arrest report states that Ford’s current employer is “Adessa Driving.” A Google search brings up a company called Adesa located in Sarasota. The company is described on its website as providing “wholesale vehicle auction solutions.”

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