Mark Sanford, the former governor of South Carolina and current candidate for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st District, is due in court to answer a complaint that he trespassed on his ex-wife’s property back in February.
Via @brucesmithap: Mark Sanford ordered to appear in court May 9 on complaint he trespassed at ex-wife’s home. #SC1
— Ken Thomas (@AP_Ken_Thomas) April 16, 2013
The court appearance is scheduled for May 9, just two days after the special election to replace Senator Tim Scott.
According to the complaint, Sanford and his wife have an agreement not to enter each other’s home without permission, and Sanford’s wife, Jenny, caught him leaving her home by the back door in February, with the aid of a flashlight on his cell phone.
Bruce Smith of the AP writes:
The complaint filed by Jenny Sanford’s lawyer, Deena Smith McRackan, said that Mark Sanford has “entered into a pattern of entering onto plaintiff’s property. Plaintiff has informed defendant on a number of occasions that this behavior is in violation of the court’s order and has demanded that it not occur again.”
Jenny Sanford has said she is not trying to torpedo her ex-husband’s campaign and that she was not responsible for leaking the complaint to the press.
“I am doing my best not to get in the way of his race,” Jenny Sanford told the AP. “I want him to sink or swim on his own. For the sake of my children I’m trying my best not to get in the way, but he makes things difficult for me when he does things like trespassing.”
Another complaint was filed by Jenny Sanford in 2011 that her ex-husband had not been making payments he was supposed to towards one of their son’s college education. That payment, $5000/year, was supposed to be paid by Sanford, and the matter was later resolved by the former Governor.
