Riverside City Councilman Resigns After Domestic Violence Arrest

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A Riverside City Councilman has resigned after a recent arrest at Lake Havasu.

Riverside City Councilman John Burnard was arrested in Lake Havasu City, Arizona earlier this month.

According to a redacted police report, a woman claims the councilman strangled her until she was unconscious at their home after she hugged someone at a bar. The report says another woman stepped into help and the councilman strangled her, too.

Officers described Burnard as intoxicated, blowing a .17 —  double the legal limit.

This week, Mayor Rusty Bailey announced the councilman's resignation, reading a letter he received from Burnard.

That letter reads in part: "... I have faced challenges of a personal nature that have affected both my physical health and my immediate family.

"Unfortunately, I cannot devote the time and the energy that my family and my health require while also serving in the City Council."

Burnard had not responded to CBS2/KCAL9's request for comment at the time of this report.

According to police, he has no prior domestic assault history.

In:
• Domestic Violence