Volatile Miami Commissioner Arrested
Arthur Teele Jr. Charged With Aggravated Assault
POSTED: 9:45 pm EDT August 26,
2004
UPDATED: 8:55 am EDT August 27,
2004
MIAMI -- A Miami city commissioner is under arrest, accused of trying to run an unmarked police car off the road.
Police arrested Arthur Teele Jr. Thursday on charges of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and threatening a public official. The felony charges mean Gov. Jeb Bush could suspend Teele from office."It's a sad event for all of us to see something like this happen. But that is what our judicial system is for," say Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
Tell us what you think about Teele's arrest. Teele was booked into a detention center and posted a $5,000 bond. The commissioner is under investigation and surveillance for allegations that he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for the performance of his public duties. The probe stems from Teele's role as head of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Police say the trouble started when Teele noticed he was being followed Tuesday night outside an apartment on North River Drive. Enraged, he chased the officer in his car and tried to ram his vehicle into oncoming traffic, according to police. When the officer pulled Teele over, officials say he threatened the officer."He continued to threaten him again, saying basically that 'I'll shoot you. I'm armed and I will shoot you if you continue following my wife,'" said Miami-Dade state attorney Kathy Fernandez-Rundle. The commissioner is known for a volatile temper and has been the center of controversy before. When he was a Miami-Dade commissioner, he asked a lobbyist into his county office and punched him. Last year, Teele fought off a recall effort undertaken by some constituents who believe he is unresponsive. In 2001, he cursed then-Miami Mayor Joe Carollo during a city commission meeting.Still, at least one of Teele's colleagues expressed shock at the arrest."I'm surprised that he assaulted a police officer. It shocks me to no end. I just can't imagine in any circumstance, but particularly the circumstance he's in where he's under a microscope anyway," said Commissioner Johnny Winton.
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Tell us what you think about Teele's arrest. Teele was booked into a detention center and posted a $5,000 bond. The commissioner is under investigation and surveillance for allegations that he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for the performance of his public duties. The probe stems from Teele's role as head of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Police say the trouble started when Teele noticed he was being followed Tuesday night outside an apartment on North River Drive. Enraged, he chased the officer in his car and tried to ram his vehicle into oncoming traffic, according to police. When the officer pulled Teele over, officials say he threatened the officer."He continued to threaten him again, saying basically that 'I'll shoot you. I'm armed and I will shoot you if you continue following my wife,'" said Miami-Dade state attorney Kathy Fernandez-Rundle. The commissioner is known for a volatile temper and has been the center of controversy before. When he was a Miami-Dade commissioner, he asked a lobbyist into his county office and punched him. Last year, Teele fought off a recall effort undertaken by some constituents who believe he is unresponsive. In 2001, he cursed then-Miami Mayor Joe Carollo during a city commission meeting.Still, at least one of Teele's colleagues expressed shock at the arrest."I'm surprised that he assaulted a police officer. It shocks me to no end. I just can't imagine in any circumstance, but particularly the circumstance he's in where he's under a microscope anyway," said Commissioner Johnny Winton.Copyright 2004 by Local10.com.
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