SMCISD Board Of Trustee Releases Formal Apology Regarding Recent Arrest
Staff Reports
On Friday, April 19, San Marcos CISD Board Member, Juan Miguel Arredondo was arrested on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. The initial report of the arrest can be found here.
Corridor News reached out to Arredondo about the arrest and received the following statement regarding the incident.
“On Friday, April 19, at 12:31 a.m., I was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated. I am deeply sorry for the actions that resulted in this circumstance. I made a mistake and thankfully, no one was injured. I apologize to my family, my colleagues, friends, supporters and all others who have put their trust in me.
Although I cannot discuss the specifics of my case now, I am being open, transparent, and I accept full responsibility for my actions and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way.
If you and I have worked together in our community, you know I try to be a good person, friend, neighbor, and advocate. But what many of you might not know and what I have not been able to admit to myself until now, is that for several years, I have suffered from alcohol use disorder, a form of alcoholism. I am getting the treatment and support I need to overcome this addiction.
I am grateful and thankful to live during a time when substance abuse, addiction and mental health can be discussed publicly and that resources are available for those who truly want help.
There are no words to describe how deeply remorseful I am for my actions. I remain committed to the voters who elected me to San Marcos CISD District 1 and will serve the remainder of my current term.
Democracy is by the people for the people, and the reality is many of us struggle with addiction. I pledge to do what so many of us truly need to do: acknowledge my dependency and seek immediate professional rehabilitation services to overcome this illness that has negatively affected me, the people I love, and those I am committed to serve.”
Juan Miguel Arredondo
We are all human and make mistakes no need to apologize
Leadership is, rightfully, held to a higher standard. Apologies are wholly appropriate, and actions which have breached public trust need to be met with consequences. Hypocrisy isn’t to be tolerated when it comes to our kids, the public trust, and my tax monies. DWI is clearly a choice, and serves as a template for other bad decisions possibly made. It’s not as simple as calling it a “mistake.”
Graham D Shea, I would like to respect your viewpoint but we must not look at something with a politically correct perception. To bring in a personal circumstance that in no way affects the position responsibilities to justify upheaving The SMCISD School board and potentially harming curriculum is why we have Donald Trump who know 0 about legislation in office… I would rather have a board member that partied too hard than one who would change curriculum to fit thier biased veiws…Mr. Arredondo has been the only voice of reason on the board so far, Everyone else on the Board can’t even operate Video-on-Demand on thier Television back home
There is no excuse for drinking and driving, especially not to the point of black out drunkenness. This is not an issue of partying too hard, but a pattern of alcoholism. Multiple arrests for alcohol-related charges while serving on the board, coupled with the several times I’ve and others have seen him passed out drunk in bars downtown means he has a serious problem. He could have killed himself or others and should apologize to everyone and focus on his sobriety, not being on the board. Any teacher arrested for a DWI would have been fired, and he should hold himself to the same standard and resign to focus on his sobriety, not his political aspirations. This is an embarrassment to the school district and a poor reflection of the board.
This is his second offense. At this point in his life, he’s shown to have poor judgement. School board members arguably have more power than City council. SMCISD has an annual budget of 80 million. He is one of six elected City reps. At minimum, he should not be permitted to vote for the remainder of his term.
Stacy,
This is Mr. Arredondo’s first DWI. He did have an arrest for public intoxication in December of 2015.
Our laws were made so if you walked out of a restaurant or bar an are observed by law enforcement who believes you are intoxicated they can stop you and give you a test or a breathalyzer.
We are not giving him an out by any means, but we want to be sure that the accurate and truthful information is out there. You can read about his 2015 PI here: https://smcorridornews.com/corridor-news-reaches-out-to-juan-miguel-arredondo-on-arrest/