Via WJLA:

D.C.’s Shadow Senator Arrested
Sunday July 24, 2005 7:40pm

Washington (AP) – Police say D.C. shadow senator Paul Strauss has been charged with disorderly conduct, following a weekend run-in with authorities.

Sergeant Joe Gentile says Strauss was arrested about
9:15 p.m. Friday on the 900 block of 30th Street Northwest, while with a group of people acting unruly. He’s been released on a personal recognisance bond.

Gentile says the shadow senator was arrested after confronting officers as they arrested another man.

Strauss tells says he was – quote – “only standing up for someone else’s rights.” He plans to contest the charges.

Strauss, a Democrat, is a non-voting representative of the US Senate, which he lobbies on behalf city residents. He was first elected to the post in 1996.

I had a great time at the beginning of the month on Shadow Senator Paul Strauss‘s boat and I’ve found him to be quite an affable man, so I doubt this arrest was really warranted. He is lawyer and I bet he’ll fight this with valor. What I find mildly ironic is that Strauss is jewish and the arresting officer’s last name is Gentile. I really wonder why the article is so freakin’ vague about the circumstances surrounding the arrest. Why was there a group of people on the 900 block of 30th St acting “unruly”? I’ll find out soon enough!