D.C.’s assistant city administrator is on administrative leave following his arrest for alleged domestic assault last week.
“Director (Chris) Rodriguez is on administrative leave,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “I'm sure you can imagine it's not much that I can say about it, other than our internal processes will kick in about the review of that incident.”
While prosecutors declined to pursue any charges against Rodriguez, the recently promoted assistant city administrator and chief technology officer was arrested at his Northwest home after his wife called police.
She told police her husband pushed her to the ground with both his hands, according to the police report.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office would not provide details on why it declined to prosecute Rodriguez, but in a joint statement issued by lawyers for Rodriguez and his wife, the attorneys wrote, in part, “Dr. Rodriguez and Mrs. Rodriguez agree that a family medical emergency has created extreme stress and anxiety, and they wish to prioritize their children’s health and wellbeing. The parties agree that on Nov. 2, 2023, neither party physically harmed the other, nor did they intend for any party to be arrested as a result of their verbal dispute. Mrs. Rodriguez did not encourage nor request any charges to be brought against Dr. Rodriguez, and the charges against him were dropped.”
While the statement refers to the incident as a verbal dispute, both the police report and an affidavit Rodriguez’s wife swore to the day after the arrest paint a much different picture.
In the temporary protection order that was issued, she swore to the court that over the past several weeks Rodriguez allegedly verbally threatened her and shoved her to the ground. She accused him of stalking her, throwing a cup of coffee against the wall, and hacking her personal computer and changing her password.
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Rodriguez’s wife requested that protection order be dismissed Monday.
Multiple requests to both attorneys and to assistant city administrator Rodriguez asking if they dispute the allegations went unanswered.
Bowser said she’s read the police report but not the allegations in the protection order.
“I'm not going to comment on anything related to the facts of what happened, the dropping of the charges, whether the TPO has been dismissed,” she said. “What I have said is that we will have an internal process, and that's underway.”
Neither Rodriguez nor his attorney have disputed the allegations his wife made.
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