Richard Paul
BLAINE – (March 7, 2022) – Blaine city councilmember Richard Paul is facing criminal charges after allegedly threatening two of Blaine’s police officers.
According to the criminal complaint, on November 3, Blaine Police stopped a man riding a bike without a headlamp or reflector at nearly 10 p.m. That man was Richard Paul’s son, Joseph Richard. Police discovered that Joseph Richard had an active warrant for theft charges, and placed him under arrest. Richard told the arresting officers that his dad was a city council member, and then call Paul and asked him to come collect the bicycle.
Paul asked to speak to the officers, and told them to bring his son home. The officer on the phone said that his son was under arrest and would not be coming home immediately. Paul told the officer, “Don’t force me do to the other thing,” and “I’m going to call the chief and you gonna be out of work.”
Paul then drove to the scene of the arrest and told the officer to let his son go. He told the officers, “You’re out of work.” Paul pulled his car into the middle of the road in front of the officers, and continued to threaten the officers.
Paul has been charged with one count of misconduct of a public officer, and one count of a code of ethics violation. Both of these charges specifically apply to public or elected officials.
Blaine’s police chief Brian Podany issued the following statement.
We are fortunate to be a part of a community that supports public safety and wants Blaine to be the best it can be. We also expect a lot of our officers, who conducted themselves with the integrity that should be expected of law enforcement. Our Blaine City Council additionally supported the police department in referring this case out to an outside prosecutor for review and determination of charges. This is another example of a Council who also has high expectations of integrity. Residents in Blaine familiar with our Council also are aware of the passion and enthusiasm our Council has for the vitality and professionalism of Blaine. The City Charter dictates the criteria for removal of a councilmember and does not provide authority for the council to independently remove an individual member. We thank you for your patience and support at this time.
Blaine’s city charter currently allows very few reasons that a councilmember can be removed from office. Mayor Sanders said he would be asking the Charter Commission to review the code, and consider adding an opportunity for residents to recall an elected official in the future.
