‘Deeply troubling’: Delaware lawmakers investigate colleague for abuse allegations

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Delaware state Rep. Josué Ortega, D-West Wilmington, is facing a criminal and a House ethics investigation after an alleged domestic violence incident.

According to a police report, a 29-year-old woman told law enforcement that Ortega struck her in the face with a closed fist while they were both sitting in a car. The report says the incident occurred May 21 in a store parking lot off of Maryland Avenue in Wilmington.

A Delaware State Police spokesperson said the case is under active investigation.

The woman appears from court records to have dated Ortega on and off during the past few years. WHYY News is not naming her because of the sensitive nature of domestic violence cases.

Ortega issued a statement on Facebook calling the allegations “unequivocally false.”

“Any suggestion that I had ever engaged in any act of domestic violence is untrue,” the post read.

Victim describes threats by Ortega to drop complaint

The New Castle County Family Court granted the woman a temporary protection from abuse order dated June 12. It expires July 12.

The commissioner who approved the order noted the two had a “dating relationship” but had a previous breakup.

Ortega and the woman filed applications for no-contact orders against each other after May 21, evidencing tumultuous exchanges between the two.

In her appeal for a protective order, the woman told the court her toddler was in the car when Ortega punched her and gave her a black eye.

She said he had threatened to “kill himself if I didn’t push to have the charges dropped,” according to the application.

“He told me that no one will take the side of an alcoholic whore over a state representative, so good luck trying,” she stated.

The document lists a charge of third-degree assault. State Police said Ortega has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

She also claimed that Ortega told her that her complaint wouldn’t matter because “his father knows the police commissioner.”

The court hearing on that temporary protective order is scheduled for June 30.

Ortega’s social media post said a careful review of court records would find that he sought and was granted relief by the court from his “abuser.”

However, documents reviewed by WHYY News show Ortega applied for a protective order against the woman on June 8, which the court denied. A case review hearing is scheduled for July 2. In his application, the state representative said she had threatened to kill him and his family.

His legislative bio says he is married with four children.

Previous no-contact orders

In 2025, Ortega and the woman filed dueling applications for protective orders, with both of them describing a volatile relationship.

In his request, Ortega alleged that she physically attacked him, and he accused her of intentionally damaging his car and threatening to kill him.

She claimed he assaulted her, threatened to kill her and stalked her.

It’s unclear from the court filings whether a trial that appeared to be scheduled for Oct. 31, 2025, went forward or what any result might have been.

House investigation

Speaker Melissa “Mimi” Brown and the rest of House leadership issued a statement acknowledging the allegations against the representative, calling them “deeply troubling and disturbing.”

House leaders said they would be filing an ethics complaint against Ortega, which would trigger a full and thorough review by the House Ethics Committee. The committee’s proceedings are confidential, but the state lawmakers said they would provide updates to the public after the investigation is complete.

“As legislators, we owe it to the people we serve to act with integrity and uphold the highest standards and we want to make that point very clear to Rep. Ortega, to our colleagues, and to all Delawareans,” they said in their statement. “Domestic violence, or any form of abuse, has no place in our state and will not be tolerated in the House of Representatives.”

Ortega said in his statement that he plans to refute the allegations against him.

“I look forward to cooperating fully with House Leadership regarding their investigation and the opportunity therein to prove the falsity of these allegations,” he said.

Who is Josué Ortega?

Ortega was elected to the state House in 2024 to serve the constituents of District 3, which includes the Hilltop, Little Italy and Hedgeville communities.

Before winning statewide office, Ortega worked in constituent services for the city of Wilmington and New Castle County.

He recently scored a legislative victory when Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed his bill officially recognizing June 11 as Puerto Rico Day in the state.