Lorain Councilman Angel Arroyo pleads 'no contest' to driving drunk in Elyria

Lorain City Councilman Angel Arroyo pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge in Elyria Municipal Court on Monday, was found guilty and fined $450. Judge Gary Bennett sentenced Arroyo, 37, to 180 days in jail and fined him $750 on the first-degree misdemeanor, but suspended 145 days of the jail term and $300 of the fine on the conditions Arroyo pay court costs and comply with the court's orders. Arroyo received 35 days credit toward the jail sentence for "in-patient treatment," must continue to comply with outpatient treatment and "exercise good behavior for a period of five years," according to Bennett's orders. He also received six points on his license, which Bennett suspended through Sept. 21, 2020, with the possibility of driving privileges. Charges of driving under suspension and OVI refusal, a turn signal and seat belt violations were dismissed. The charges arose from an arrest by an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper who stopped Arroyo's 2005 Ford in the area of Furnace Street and Foster Avenue on Sept. 21, according to court records. Arroyo, the city's Democratic 6th Ward councilman, announced earlier this year that he would not run for another term. Rey Carrion, who ran unopposed in the general election, will replace him on Council. Arroyo has a plea hearing scheduled in Lorain Municipal Court on Tuesday, according to court records. He is expected to enter a guilty or no contest plea to additional drunken driving charges stemming from his arrest by Lorain police in March following a crash at Pearl Avenue and East 28th Street. In that incident, police responded at 10:30 p.m. March 11 to find Arroyo's car damaged after he apparently ran a stop sign. He told police he was making a right turn from Pearl onto East 28th when another car crashed into his. Officers noted that Arroyo's eyes were red, he smelled of alcohol, he was uncooperative, refused sobriety and breath tests and behaved like someone who was intoxicated. He was charged with OVI, failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead, a stop sign violation and having an expired license plate or validation sticker in that case. That same month, Arroyo pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct in Lorain Municipal Court in connection with a domestic incident at his home in January. His wife told police Arroyo hit her several times after coming home intoxicated Jan. 14.