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California Mayoral Hopeful Admits to Domestic Violence Charges

Vallejo Democrat Hakeem Brown served prison time for domestic violence charges

Vallejo, Calif., mayoral hopeful Hakeem Brown (D.)
October 14, 2020

A Democrat running for mayor of Vallejo, Calif., admitted to serving prison time for domestic violence charges, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. 

Hakeem Brown, a Vallejo city councilman, admitted this weekend that he had been arrested for drugs, criminal possession of a firearm, and having a "scuffle" with his first wife.

Documents uncovered by the Chronicle revealed that Brown was twice convicted of felony domestic violence for "inflicting corporal injury" on his first wife in the early 2000s. He served four years in prison for the charges as well as for possessing a gun in connection with selling marijuana. 

Brown, who allegedly violated a court order mandating that he stay away from his second wife in 2012, said in a Facebook post that he made the "mistakes" in his 20s and now aspires to be a role model for his son and other black youth. 

Brown started dating his first wife in 1999, when he was 24 and she was 17. Court documents reveal that he served two months in jail for assaulting her in 2001.

He was again convicted in 2002 and served 50 months in state prison for inflicting injury on his wife and carrying a gun in connection with a drug deal.

In 2012, Brown faced two more charges of felony domestic violence against a second wife. Those charges were ultimately dismissed.

While the domestic violence charges were widely unknown until Brown's Facebook post, the Chronicle noted that the mayoral hopeful gained some prominence in 2016 after being found not guilty of possessing and selling marijuana. He was elected to Vallejo city council two years later.

Published under: California Election