Travis Dyson is the 30-year-old Florida man who was found in a hotel room with Democratic politician Andrew Gillum on March 13. Police said Dyson appeared to have suffered a drug overdose. He is conscious and in stable condition in a Miami-area hospital.
Dyson maintains a profile on a website for male escorts and is studying at a nurse practitioner school. Gillum has been married to R. Jai Gillum since 2009. The couple have three children together.
In 2018, Gillum, 40, was the surprise winner of the Democratic primary for governor in Florida. Gillum lost the general election narrowly to Ron De Santis. Since then, Gillum has been a rising star in the Democratic party. Between 2014 and 2018, Gillum served as the mayor of Tallahassee.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Gillum Said He Was in Miami to Celebrate a Wedding but Dyson Said the Former Mayor Never Mentioned it
Gillum has said that he was in Miami for a wedding. The former Tallahassee mayor admitted to “drinking too much” but denied that he had taken any drugs. Gillum was too drunk to speak to the police when they arrived at the scene, documents say. Speaking to the Miami New Times, Dyson said that Gillum did not mention attending a wedding. In his statement, Gillum referred to Dyson as a “friend.” Dyson said that he and Gillum had been friends since last spring. Dyson told the website, “I personally was not celebrating a wedding. I don’t know if [Gillum] was in town for a wedding. He did not mention that.”
The man who rented the room, Aldo Mejias, 53, said he went to the room before midnight on March 12. Mejias said that he found Dyson and Gillum “under the influence of an unknown substance.” Mejias said that Gillum had been vomiting into the toilet and that Dyson was unconscious. Mejias performed CPR on Dyson until the paramedics arrived. The incident occurred at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
The drug in question was crystal meth. Those narcotics were impounded. It’s not clear if Gillum or Dyson will be facing any charges. Gillum was allowed to leave the scene and return home by officers.
2. Dyson Was Last in Trouble With the Law in August 2019
Dyson was arrested in August 2019 and accused of resisting officer without violence to his person reckless driving.
On his Instagram page, which was set to private in the fallout from the Gillum scandal, Dyson referred to himself as “still young,” “sometimes professional,” “very taken” and a “grad student.” Dyson says that he studying at nurse practitioner school. Dyson boasts 27,000 followers on that profile. Dyson formerly studied at Chamberlain University College of Nursing and Rush University in Illinois.
3. Dyson Said That He Comes From ‘Humble Beginnings’
Dyson maintains at the male escort website, Rent Men. On that page, Dyson goes by the moniker Brodie Scott. Dyson told the website in 2018, “I go the extra mile by being very aware of what I do in the present and how it affects the future… like I won’t make a present
decision until I play out how it may in the future.” During the interview, Dyson said that he came from “humble beginnings” in a small town. Dyson concluded the interview by saying, “I’m not quiet. I speak my mind. If I want something I’ll work to get it.” In the midst of the Gillum scandal, Dyson’s profile on the website was removed.
4. Dyson Was Formerly in the Military
Instagram/Travis Dyson
In the bio section of the website, Dyson says of himself, “I like kissing and foreplay… lots of kissing and foreplay. I enjoy my nipple rings lightly played with. Mutual touch and intimacy goes a long way.” Dyson says that he was formerly in the military. The profile ends with Dyson saying, “If it is a dating atmosphere you desire, I definitely have an eclectic taste for dates. I don’t only enjoy one type of fun… but the type of fun we have is definitely up to you. Let’s have fun?.”
5. Dyson Is Engaged to Be Married
Instagram/Travis Dyson
According to a post on Dyson’s Facebook page, he has been in a relationship with a man named Luis Antonio Jr. since August 2018. A post on Dyson’s Instagram page says that the couple are engaged.
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