VALE – Ontario City Councilor Eddie Melendrez was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants on New Year’s Day, according to the Malheur County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office, Melendrez was pulled over at 1:15 a.m. after a sheriff’s deputy observed Melendrez’s vehicle traveling 38 mph in a 25-mph zone and swerve to the right. After the deputy contacted Melendrez, he failed a field sobriety test and was arrested, the agency reported.
Dave Goldthorpe, Malheur County district attorney, said Melendrez – who is also a member of the Ontario School Board – was arrested near Lagoon Drive and later cited and released at the Malheur County Jail.
Goldthorpe said his office filed the misdemeanor driving under the influence of intoxicants charge Wednesday, Jan. 4.
Melendrez’s arraignment is set for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Malheur County Circuit Court.
Melendrez, 39, is also on the board of the nonprofit Community in Action in Ontario. He was elected to the Ontario City Council in 2020 and ran for Ontario mayor in 2022, coming in second.
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