Dover mayor calls for councilman to resign after second assault arrest

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Dover Mayor James Dodd stood by Sergio Rodriquez when the first-term councilman was arrested in February and charged with assault after confronting a group of homeless men he claimed were drinking in public.

Dodd is now calling for Rodriguez to resign after reports surfaced the councilman has again been charged with assault.

"Recent actions attributed to Councilman Rodriguez," Dodd wrote in a statement posted on his Facbook page "cannot be overlooked."

A document from Dover Municipal Court indicates Rodriguez was arrested at 11:48 a.m. on Wednesday. The listed charge is third-degree assault, with a description of "agg assault-attempt/cause significant body injury."

The court document does not list any details of the alleged assault or its location in town.

Efforts to reach Rodriguez for comment weren't immediately successful.

"Regrettably, today Councilman Rodriguez has exhibited behavior that is unacceptable and does not reflect the principles of leadership we strive for in our local government," Dodd wrote.

"In light of recent events, I am formally requesting the resignation of Councilman Rodriguez," he announced.

Rodriguez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Posted video of alleged assault

Elected in November on Dodd's ticket, Rodriguez began his term in January by posting a series of street videos on social media in which he confronted alleged drinkers, trash ordinance offenders and other "quality of life" issues.

He posted his video of the incident with the homeless men that led to his first arrest on Instagram on Feb. 7. It showed an escalated confrontation with three men in which Rodriguez appeared to kick a clear bottle out of one man's hands. When they left the street bench they were sitting on, Rodriguez followed them into the street.

The Instagram post has since been deleted.

The first assault case is still in court . First moved to Kinnelon Municipal Court to avoid conflicts, the case was again transferred in June to Lincoln Park.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today .

Email: wwesthoven@ dailyrecord.com

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover mayor calls for councilman to resign after second assault arrest