WASHINGTON — Loudoun County Supervisor Shawn Williams has resigned his position.
Loudoun County officials made the announcement Sunday after Williams was arrested on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and unlawful entry Sunday morning.
Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 21800 block of Wingfoot Court in Ashburn around 1 a.m. for a report of a male pushing his way into a neighbor’s home and pushing the neighbor during a dispute.
According to police, Williams, 44, was charged with simple assault and unlawful entry, both misdemeanors, and taken to the county detention center and is expected to be released Sunday.
Following news of the arrest, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York asked that Williams to step down. York said this wasn’t the first incident, and that Williams should “focus full time on getting the help that he needs.”
The Board of Supervisors have 45 days to name a replacement for the remainder of Williams’s term for 2015. A special election is not needed for the appointment, county officials said.
York used strong language to describe the situation and the reason why he asked Williams to resign immediately.
“It is clear that Supervisor Williams has a serious substance abuse problem,” York said.
He called Sunday’s incident in Ashburn “alcohol related.” WTOP has reached out to Williams, as well as the Sheriff’s office, for further comment.
Williams has a history of drunken driving and domestic disputes. According to The Washington Post, he withdrew from this year’s race for board chairman after this came to light, including a case in which he was accused of brutally attacking his then-girlfriend in Ocean City in 2006. The charges against him were dismissed later that year.
“With every fiber of my being I wish this incident had not occurred and can’t begin to relay the guilt I harbor,” Williams said in a statement released in March about the Ocean City arrest. “This was an extremely low point in my life full of grief, anger and binge blackout drinking. As a result of this incident I sought out and received treatment for alcohol abuse and symptoms related to a personality disorder.”
