Sen. Darius Brown Booted From Another Committee Following Reported Blow-up With Another Lawmaker

State Senator Darius Brown, D-Wilmington, has lost another legislative committee position following a reported outburst directed at a colleague at a recent bill-signing event.

Brown also faces trial next month on charges that he punched a woman and threw a glass at a Wilmington-area restaurant last May.

The chair of the Senate Rules and Ethics Committee, Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington, said Wednesday that whether Brown is found guilty or not guilty, she believes the Committee should review the facts of the case and other accusations of abusive behavior that may not have risen to the level of criminal conduct. Lockman said the Senate Ethics Committee will convene in the coming weeks to adopt procedures for an investigation.

Lockman released this statement:

“I have received numerous questions today regarding how the Senate Ethics Committee will handle the Senator Brown case, particularly given his recent removal from the Senate Capital Improvement Committee. 

Senator Brown’s trial is scheduled for early December, and as chair of the Senate Rules & Ethics Committee, I intend to monitor those proceedings closely. Whether or not Senator Brown is found guilty, I believe our Committee should review the facts of that case and other accusations of abusive behavior that may not have risen to the level of criminal conduct. 

I plan to convene the Senate Rules & Ethics Committee in the weeks ahead to adopt the procedures for investigating these matters and making whatever recommendations the Committee deems appropriate to the full Delaware State Senate.” 

Representative Melissa Minor Brown, D- New Castle, went public Wednesday, releasing a statement saying that Brown was aggressively rude to her earlier this month and shouted profanities at her at close range. Brown has since been taken off the Senate Capital Improvement Committee.

The Delaware State Senate Republican Caucus in a statement said members are deeply concerned about what seems to be a pattern of inappropriate behavior and, according to charges listed in a Delaware State Police report from May of this year, sometimes violent behavior toward women. The GOP caucus said is conduct unbecoming of a member of the Delaware General Assembly and that Senator Brown must be held accountable. They also press the case for a Senate Ethics Committee review.

The Senate Republican Caucus released this statement:

“This morning, news reports surfaced about a verbal altercation between Senator Darius Brown and a
female legislator while attending a public bill signing ceremony on November 8 th .
“We are deeply concerned by what seems to be a pattern of inappropriate and, according to charges
listed in a Delaware State Police report from May of this year, sometimes violent behavior towards
women. The vast majority of our caucus’s staff are women, and it is our responsibility to ensure that
they feel safe within the workplace.
“This conduct is unbecoming of a member of the Delaware General Assembly and Senator Brown must
be held accountable. We believe serious consideration should be given to a Rules and Ethics Committee
review.”
The Senate Republican Caucus consists of seven members, including Minority Leader Gerald Hocker
(District 20), Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn (District 19), Colin Bonini (District 16), Dave Lawson (District
15), Ernie Lopez (District 6), Bryant Richardson (District 21), and Dave Wilson (District 18).