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One might have thought former Delaware state Rep. John Atkins’ time in elective office — a period marred by domestic violence arrests and other scandals that led him to resign — was long over.
But the Sussex County Republican, a member of the state House for 11 years who lost the Millsboro-area seat in 2014, could be rejoining the General Assembly in a few weeks.
Atkins, 56, won a three-way GOP primary by a scant 67 votes in September and faces Democratic first-time candidate Ryan Stuckey in the Nov. 3 general election. Republicans hold a distinct voter-registration edge in the district, where Atkins has won as both a Republican and Democrat.
Atkins, who didn’t respond to multiple requests by WHYY News for comment about his latest candidacy, has been arrested three times for alleged violence against women, and twice been convicted.
After his primary victory, however, Atkins spoke with CoastTV, saying, “My past is my past is my past. And again, we’re closing that chapter and we’re moving on. I think people of the 41st District are sick of hearing about it.”
But Jacki Slonin, a business owner who finished a distant third in the primary race, is actively encouraging voters not to return her fellow Republican to office.
“I do not believe at any point and juncture that someone with that past and recent behavior should ever be put back into a position of authority,” Slonin told WHYY News.
Atkins’ scrapes with the law include a 2018 felony strangulation charge after an argument with his girlfriend, who told police he squeezed her neck to the point that she could not breathe. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in that case and served 22 days behind bars.
But that arrest was only the latest in a string of criminal cases and incidents since 2006 involving Atkins, who was first elected in 2002 to represent the largely rural inland district that borders Maryland and also includes the towns of Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville and Gumboro.
Atkins was first charged with domestic violence in October 2006, days before he was elected to a third two-year term, for allegedly grabbing his wife’s arm during an argument that occurred at their Millsboro home. The arrest occurred hours after Atkins was pulled over by police in Ocean City, Maryland, for speeding and suspected drunk driving, but was not arrested. He later pleaded guilty to offensive touching.
House leaders investigated the incidents, including the fact that he showed his legislative identification card to police during the traffic stop. Members were prepared to formally censure Atkins, but instead, he resigned in March 2007.
Atkins switched parties for the 2008 race and was re-elected as a Democrat. He served three more terms but lost to Republican Rich Collins in 2014 — the same year his estranged wife obtained a protective order because “his temper is getting worse and I fear that if something is not done” he would harm her, she wrote in her petition.
In 2016, Atkins pondered a second political comeback, but abandoned the idea that June, after police charged him with offensive touching and criminal mischief. The arrest warrant said Atkins pushed a former girlfriend against her car several times and kicked it, then pushed her friend when she tried to intervene. Police said the woman also bit him. A prosecutor later dropped the charges.
His arrest in 2018, however, was for felony strangulation and misdemeanor third-degree assault — charges that could have put him behind bars for up to six years.
Atkins and his then-girlfriend were at the South Indian River Inlet, a part of Delaware Seashore State Park, when “she got a text message from her ex-boyfriend, which immediately angered John,” the state police arrest warrant said.
They began arguing, and then “John put his hands on her neck and squeezed to the point that she could not breathe,” police wrote. The woman told police she tried to get away and was “hit under her eye,” where the detective observed “a noticeable red mark” along with “red marks around her neck.”
The woman “got away from John, left the beach and took an Uber home,” the warrant said. But when she arrived, “John was there waiting for her.” They argued again and Atkins smacked her hat, which hit her nose, the detective wrote.
Atkins told police he did not put his hands around the woman’s neck but “admitted he may have put his hands on [her] in self-defense,” the warrant said.
He later pleaded guilty to the assault count, but not before being arrested twice more for violating a non-contact order that was a condition of his release on $7,000 unsecured bond. Atkins was sentenced to time served, put on probation for a year, and ordered to turn over his cache of firearms.
Slonin noted that beyond his physical altercations with women, Atkins has exhibited other disturbing behavior while in office that also should give voters pause.
There was the potential DUI charge he escaped in 2006 and his presentation of his legislative ID card to the Maryland cop, she said.
Slonin also pointed out that then-Rep. Atkins sent a derogatory email in 2012 to state police leaders about a state trooper who gave him a speeding ticket, calling him a “smart ass.” That episode forced Atkins to step down from his vice chairmanship of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
“The past behavior obviously is very clearly documented,” Slonin said.
