Former PNP candidate Dr. Jason Stanford arrested in Louisiana on domestic abuse, child endangerment
Key Points(5)
- A former parliamentary candidate for the People's National Party (PNP), Jason Stanford, has been arrested in the United States and charged with domestic abuse battery with child endangerment and interfering with emergency communications.
- According to arrest records from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana, deputies arrested the 43-year-old on March 1 following a reported domestic disturbance at his home.
- The charges stem from an incident involving Stanford and his spouse that allegedly took place in the presence of their children.
- Investigators say an argument broke out after Stanford’s wife told him she intended to call 911.
- According to the arrest affidavit, Stanford allegedly forcefully snatched the phone from her hand in an attempt to prevent the call.
A former parliamentary candidate for the People's National Party (PNP), Jason Stanford, has been arrested in the United States and charged with domestic abuse battery with child endangerment and interfering with emergency communications.
According to arrest records from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana, deputies arrested the 43-year-old on March 1 following a reported domestic disturbance at his home. The charges stem from an incident involving Stanford and his spouse that allegedly took place in the presence of their children.
Investigators say an argument broke out after Stanford’s wife told him she intended to call 911. According to the arrest affidavit, Stanford allegedly forcefully snatched the phone from her hand in an attempt to prevent the call. The complainant also alleged that during the altercation Stanford grabbed her by the neck with one hand.
Deputies reported observing a bruise on the inside of the woman’s forearm, which she said resulted from a separate argument the previous day when Stanford allegedly threw her cellphone at her. However, officers noted there were no visible signs of bruising on her neck.
The incident was elevated to a child endangerment charge because the couple’s children — including two young children who were in the living room during the altercation — were present at the time, according to the police report.
During a post-Miranda interview, Stanford reportedly admitted that he attempted to take the phone but denied doing so to stop his wife from contacting police. Instead, he told investigators he took the device because he pays the phone bill and felt she “shouldn’t have it.”
Stanford’s teenage son, who witnessed the incident, told deputies he saw his father attempt to take the phone from his stepmother but said he did not see Stanford grab her neck.
Stanford was released on US$6,500 bond on March 3.
In Jamaica, Stanford previously represented the PNP as its candidate for the Western St. Mary constituency in the 2020 general election. He lost the race by 3,382 votes to Robert Montague of the Jamaica Labour Party and later resigned as the party’s caretaker for the constituency in August 2021.
According to his professional profile, Stanford serves as chief executive officer of the MARSS Group of Companies and as vice-president of physics at the Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute.
