A Maine lawmaker turned himself into authorities Monday morning, admitting that he choked his wife for about 20 seconds after she confronted him and his mistress about their affair.

Maine Republican State Representative Lucas Lanigan (R) was arrested on a charge of domestic violence aggravated assault in the incident, which occurred on Friday.

He is being held in York County Jail and is not eligible for release at this time.

The incident

Catalina Lanigan confronted her husband at a storage facility in Springvale around 1 p.m., and in the ensuing argument, he allegedly tried to strangle her.

She escaped and went home, where she told some friends and family members what had happened.

She then went to a medical center in Portland, where an examination found bruising consistent with the attempted strangulation.

Arrest warrant issued

An arrest warrant was issued for Lanigan, who claimed on Monday that he had been on a business trip over the weekend.

Lanigan is running for re-election next week. His arrest does not prevent him from running for office or serving in an elected capacity.

Maine House Democrats are, of course, calling for his resignation over the charges.

A joint statement on the matter read,

We are stunned, dismayed and horrified by the details of the charges against Rep. Lucas Lanigan that were disclosed in an affidavit from the Sanford Police Department. Domestic violence of any kind is unacceptable. These grievously serious allegations demonstrate that Rep. Lanigan is clearly unfit to continue serving as a state representative. . . . The people of Maine deserve to be represented by individuals with integrity, and Rep. Lanigan’s actions are not commensurate with the position he currently holds.

More calls for resignation

Maine Democrat Party Chair Bev Uhlenhake joined in with her own call for Lanigan's resignation:

The actions described in the warrant for the arrest of State Representative Lucas Lanigan for domestic violence aggravated assault are incredibly disturbing and are disqualifying for any elected official or individual seeking public office," Uhlenhake said. "The allegations are appalling, and they are far beyond the conduct we as Mainers will tolerate from anyone claiming or seeking to represent us in the state legislature.

While of course the allegations represent actions that are reprehensible, Democrats have been very one-sided in calling elected officials accused of violating laws to resign, even before their charges are adjudicated in a court of law.

This early in the situation, it can be hard to tell what actually happened, and sometimes it is prudent to wait until all the facts of the situation come out.

If Lanigan did assault his wife, he should resign regardless of his party affiliation, of course.