Case can be educational experience

Lorain City Councilman Angel Arroyo Jr.’s arrest Dec. 2 stemming from an alleged drunken conduct run-in with Lorain police is disturbing.

However, Arroyo’s contribution to Lorain and other communities cannot be overlooked, either.

Arroyo, a first-term councilman who represents Ward 6, has said he wasn’t intoxicated when he was arrested.

During a Dec. 5 arraignment hearing in Lorain Municipal Court, Arroyo, who was represented by Lorain attorney J.D. Tomlinson, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Lorain police charged Arroyo with disorderly conduct. He was cited for resisting arrest, obstructing official business, disorderly conduct by intoxication and disturbing the peace.

Two days after his arrest, Arroyo arrived at City Hall for a Council meeting using crutches for what he said was a fracture in his leg.

And he was full of apologies.

Arroyo said, “It’s public news, and basically all I’m going to say is, I apologize to Council.”

Known for using social media to communicate on issues in Lorain, Arroyo apologized for online commenters “that decide to put you guys in the midst of my business” because the other Council members are not responsible for the incident.

Arroyo said he takes responsibility for the accusations that he’s been charged with.

He also was complimentary to police and said he appreciated them for doing their job.

Arroyo said, “I don’t expect them to do nothing but their job. And if I offended anyone, I apologize.”

Some Council members applauded Arroyo’s statement.

But it appeared that action prompted some jeers from the audience, which is not surprising.

Residents hold elected officials to high standards, and they may feel Arroyo let them down with this arrest.

About 12:29 a.m., Dec. 2, police were dispatched to a house in the 4300 block of Jenee Drive for a report of an intoxicated man refusing to leave.

Officers found the man standing on the sidewalk in front of the residence. The man initially ignored officers’ attempts to get his attention. The man was Arroyo. Arroyo claimed his leg had been run over by a vehicle at an Oberlin Avenue restaurant. He said his left knee was injured and showed police road rash on his leg, but officers reported the injury was not consistent with being run over.

Arroyo declined an ambulance for treatment of the injury. Police reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol on Arroyo’s breath, but he said he was not intoxicated.

Arroyo pointed to a neighboring residence and said the man there ran him over. The man, 49, said he was a good friend of Arroyo and they went to the restaurant to celebrate Arroyo’s birthday, which is Dec. 7.

The report indicated the man said Arroyo became heavily intoxicated and wanted to drive home, but he took Arroyo’s keys to prevent him driving. To get the keys back, Arroyo jumped on the hood of the man’s vehicle, then fell back to the ground, injuring his knee.

The man said he then dragged Arroyo from the front of the vehicle by his arms so he would not get run over. The man said he handed the car keys to Arroyo’s wife, then left.

Speaking to Arroyo, officers offered at least twice to park his vehicle and give him a ride to his East 30th Street home.

Because of his continued lack of cooperation and refusal to leave, police arrested Arroyo for disorderly conduct and obstructing official business.

Arroyo backed away from officers and stiffened his legs to prevent them from closing the cruiser door. He allegedly kicked the police car windows and at the city jail “repeatedly kicked the holding cell door, refusing to cooperate.”

The police account of Arroyo’s actions is unsettling.

Arroyo is a leader and role model to younger people in the community.

No one can discredit his tireless efforts to improve the community and help those in need.

Just look at the last few months, when Arroyo was involved in relief efforts for Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico, and he made trips to Houston and to Florida on behalf of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma victims.

Arroyo is not perfect, and we’re sure he’d be the first to admit it.

If the allegations are true, and he is convicted, this will leave a stain on his reputation.

Of course, Arroyo is innocent until proven guilty. He has a Jan. 17 pretrial before Municipal Judge Thomas J. Elwell Jr.

Whatever the outcome of the case, this should be an educational experience for Arroyo that he can share with younger, more impressionable people in the community, about how to avoid what he went through.