AURORA | Newly elected Aurora Councilmember Rob Andrews has been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol Saturday night in Aurora, the council member said in a statement to the Sentinel on Sunday.
Andrews said that on Saturday night, “I was pulled over by Aurora Police after making an improper U-turn. After sobriety testing, officers determined I was not fit to drive.”
Police said that about 9:30 p.m. officers on a “proactive patrol observed a red Ford F250 driving north on South Chambers Road at South Chambers Circle splitting lanes and making wide turns,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “Officers initiated a traffic stop and conducted a DUI investigation.”
Andrews, 41, was subsequently arrested on charges of driving under the influence, “driving with excessive alcohol content, changing lanes when unsafe (weaving) and making a left turn from the wrong lane,” police said.
Andrews was taken in on a detox hold to the Aurora Municipal Detention Center and released Sunday, according to Joe Moylan.
His blood alcohol level was not immediately released.
The incident was first made public in social media posts by former Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, who lost her at-large council seat to Andrews and Alli Jackson.
“I take full responsibility for my decision. I am deeply sorry — to my family, to the people I serve, and to everyone who expects better from me,” Andrews said. “I am grateful no one was hurt. That does not lessen the seriousness of what happened. Driving when I was not fit to drive put others at risk, and that is on me.”
Andrews said he was “cooperating fully “ with police and prosecutors “and working closely with my family and counsel as this moves forward.”
If convicted, the charge would not impact his ability to serve in public office, according to city codes. In 2018, former Councilmember Nicole Johnston was convicted of driving while ability was impaired and continued her term.
Andrews, a Democrat, made it clear in his statement he would continue in his at-large city council term, which he won in the Nov. 4 election last year.
“Accountability has to mean more than words. I am committed to doing what restorative justice asks of all of us — naming the harm, learning from it, and taking concrete steps to repair trust,” Andrews said. “I will follow through on the consequences, do what’s needed to ensure this never happens again, and continue working to earn back the confidence of this community.”
Andrews did not provide details about the charges or what he would do next.
“I am sorry. I will do better, and I will prove it through my actions,” he said.
Andrews is chairperson of the city council’s Public Safety Committee. He was among four new Democratic members elected to the city council, also including and Jackson and Gianina Horton in Ward I, and Amy Wiles in Ward II. The election has flipped control of the city council from Republicans and conservatives to progressive Democrats.
Jurinsky, running for a second term, was turned out by voters, along with Republican Steve Sundberg and Amsalu Kasaw.
Present. Drinking is not his real problem as a City Council member. Making City decisions as a socialist is and will be.
Republicans as well as Democrats make mistakes. Regardless they should be held accountable and replaced now!
Someone who can admit wrongdoing is so much better than the previous members, namely Jurinsky and Sundberg. The voters became wise to their arrogance and ineffective “work” on behalf of Aurora.