CAMDEN, Del.- Mayor Justin King of Camden plead guilty to three misdemeanor charges in Dover Superior Court Tuesday morning.
The charges specify that King, who has now stepped down as mayor, is guilty for hindering prosecution, offensive touching and disorderly conduct.
King pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and disorderly conduct, while pleading no contest to offensive touching.
The charges trace back to a confrontation between King and three individuals on February 25, 2023, which took place outside of his locally-owned business.
He has been sentenced to one year of probation, along with a $500 fine, and is required to maintain no contact with the victims.
Two of the three victims, Elmahdi Boukhres, Devan Ripoll and Christian Chordas, were present in court. In an interview with WBOC in March the victims alleged that King screamed in their faces and pushed them to the ground while they were at his carwash.
In court King said the men outside of his business appeared 'suspicious' on the night of the incident. In a Camden town council meeting in March, King argued he was trying to protect his property.
"That night I was not the mayor, I was a property owner, a business owner, and I was concerned. It has nothing to do with me being the mayor," he said in March.
Upon the conclusion of the court proceedings, Fleur McKendell, President of the Central Delaware NAACP, expressed her sentiments, stating "while we are elated that he was brought to justice as we know so many have not been, we also find it to be a travesty of justice that he gets to walk away and go back into the community, continue to make money off the backs of the community and he didn't have to serve a day."
