News
A former Nelsonville City Council president was arrested for interrupting Monday night’s meeting
By: Hailey Hollinger
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A former Nelsonville City Council president was arrested after interrupting Monday night’s meeting.
Two minutes into the meeting, the council was preparing to swear in two new council members to fill vacant seats. Instead, former council President Rita Nguyen began to speak while making her way to the front of the room.
Nguyen was asked to wait until the citizen comments time, but she continued, warning the new council members they could be sued.
“I’m trying to let them know what they’re getting into before they get them in there,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen and another council member sued the city last April, claiming they were wrongfully ousted from their council seats. Nguyen was president at the time.
That case is still pending in court, and Nguyen said she wanted to warn the two appointees they could be added as defendants in the case.
Police Chief Devon Tolliver approached Nguyen and informed her multiple times she was interrupting a public meeting, while also instructing her to leave the room. She continued to speak, leading Tolliver to tell her she was under arrest. Tolliver pinned Nguyen’s arms behind her back, and after a brief struggle he escorted her out of the council chambers.
Tolliver took Nguyen next door to the police station, where she was issued a citation for disturbing a lawful meeting. She was told to appear in court on April 24.