CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The husband of the mayor of Wyoming’s capital city pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery on Monday after she accused him of hurting her by putting her in “bear hug” hold during an argument at their home.
Christopher “Jimmy” Orr, 54, was arrested Friday night on suspicion of domestic violence against Mayor Marian Orr and later released from custody on a $5,000 bond set by Circuit Judge Thomas Lee, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported. The conditions of his bond require him to have no contact with his wife and not to go within one block of their residence.
Christopher Orr’s attorney, Devon Peterson, did not return a telephone call seeking comment Tuesday.
Mayor Orr issued a statement Sunday asking for privacy as she dealt with what she called a “very personal situation.”
“Domestic violence cuts across all parts of our society. Apparently, no one is immune. I am having to come to grips with being victimized in this way. This is a very traumatic time for me, my children and my parents,” she said.
Both Lee and Laramie County Attorney Leigh Anne Manlove are recusing themselves from the case. Manlove, who knows both of the Orrs, told The Associated Press on Tuesday she could not discuss the case because of her conflict of interest. Albany County Circuit Judge Robert Castor will preside over the case and Campbell County Attorney Ronald Wirthwein, Jr. will serve as a special prosecutor.
According to court documents, police went to the couple’s home at around 7:30 p.m. Friday because Mayor Orr called 911 saying she “was in fear of Christopher (Jimmy Orr).” Christopher Orr told police he got into an argument with his wife of five years and threw a cup from the dining room into the kitchen sink that was next to her. Marion Orr allegedly then threw a piece of the broken cup at him.
Christopher Orr allegedly put his wife in a “bear hug” hold and told her to calm down, according to the documents. Marian Orr suffered a bruise and an abrasion about the size of a dime to her chin which she told police she believed came from being in the hold.
Marian Orr was elected mayor in 2016. According to her biography on the city’s website, Christopher Orr is a longtime political veteran who has worked for former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer, U.S. Sens. Malcolm Wallop and Alan K. Simpson as well as former President George W. Bush and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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