Two elected officials from Riverside County were arrested over the weekend heading into July 4th.
On Saturday, July 1, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was arrested for driving under the influence. She was taken to the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and released the same day on $5,000 bail.
“Last night, I made an irresponsible decision that I deeply regret,” Cervantes said in a statement to Southern California News Group. “I take full responsibility, and I want to apologize to my family, my community, and the residents of the district that I represent.”
This is not the first DUI for Cervantes, who is currently running for the 58th Assembly District. She was previously arrested in 2014.
The day after Cervantes’ arrest, San Jacinto City Councilmember Brian Eugene Hawkins was taken into custody for suspected child abuse. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
“As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, the City of San Jacinto is unable to provide further details or comment on the matter at this time; however, the city takes the allegations against Mr. Hawkins seriously. The city has agreed to assist in the investigation should assistance be requested," the City of San Jacinto said in a statement.
Hawkins has served the Riverside County city since 2020.
Read more about the arrests here.
This article has been updated.