Last February, we began posting about what has remained a high-profile criminal and governmental Arizona case. State Senator Scott Bundgaard is now a former senator as a result of the incident that landed him in the limelight last year.

Bundgaard was accused of domestic violence by his former girlfriend. The couple reportedly got into an argument and pulled over on the side of the road on the night that's been in question by not only legal authorities but by the Senate Ethics Committee as well.

As for the legal implications of Bundgaard's involvement in the domestic violence matter, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor endangerment. He consistently has denied that he was violent toward his ex and has actually accused her of wrongdoing. She was never charged with a crime.

With the criminal process related to the high-profile incident behind him, now the Senate Ethics Committee hearing regarding the matter is behind him, too. After briefly seeing how the hearing process would go, Bundgaard decided to back out of the process, as well as his position as senator. He and his attorney didn't believe that he could get a fair, unbiased chance at saving his name and reputation.

A person's name, reputation and career are not things to take lightly. They take hard work and dedication to earn. It isn't uncommon for a charge like domestic violence to put those precious things at risk.

The upcoming post will continue a discussion about domestic violence and some legislative proposals related not only to that legal matter, but possibly related to the Bundgaard incident as well.

Source

Phoenix New Times: "Scott Bundgaard's Attorney: Senator Resigned Because Ethics Hearing Was Unfair," James King, Jan. 6, 2012