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Christopher Rodriguez, D.C.'s newly promoted assistant city administrator, was placed on leave Friday after he was arrested at his Northwest Washington home in a domestic violence incident, according to a police report and three officials with knowledge of the case.
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The U.S. attorney’s office for D.C., which prosecutes adult crimes in the city, opted not to pursue the misdemeanor simple-assault charge filed by police, said Patricia Hartman, a spokeswoman for the office. She declined to elaborate, saying the office does not discuss charging decisions.
Rodriguez’s arrest was first reported by WRC-TV (Channel 4).
In a statement, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office said only that Rodriguez had been placed on administrative leave. A spokeswoman for Bowser (D) declined to comment further, including on why the action was taken. Efforts to reach Rodriguez, 46, were not successful Friday evening.
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A police report says officers were called to Rodriguez’s house near American University about 11:30 p.m. Thursday. The report says Rodriguez’s wife told police that her husband “pushed her on the ground with both hands.”
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The report says the couple’s daughter heard them arguing but did not see any visible injuries. Rodriguez was arrested and processed at the Second District Station. His wife did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Rodriguez’s name, with his address, appears in an arrest log at the Second District police station. Two D.C. police officials and a third official in D.C. government confirmed the person arrested is the assistant city administrator.
Rodriguez’s arrest comes three weeks after Bowser promoted him to dual roles as acting chief technology officer and assistant city administrator. He is a member of the mayor’s cabinet and answers to the city administrator, who reports directly to Bowser.
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Previously, Rodriguez led the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management agency for six years, overseeing crucial facets of the District’s emergency response to situations. He helped identify sites across the city for mass testing and vaccination clinics during the coronavirus pandemic and he played a key role in responding to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
His arrest is the latest spell of trouble for Bowser’s cabinet, which has seen notable vacancies and turnover during the past year.
A year ago, Christopher Geldart, deputy mayor for public safety and justice, resigned from Bowser’s administration after a personal trainer alleged that Geldart assaulted him outside of an Arlington gym. And the mayor’s longtime chief of staff, who was also the deputy mayor for planning and economic development, John Falcicchio, resigned in March after being accused of sexual harassment.
Prosecutors dropped a charge of n assault and battery against Geldart in November 2022, over the objections of his accuser.
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