Evanston city clerk arrested Tuesday, charged with traffic violation

Daily file photo by Katie Pach

City clerk Devon Reid at a City Council meeting. Reid was arrested Tuesday for violating traffic laws and driving with a suspended license.

Julia Esparza, Assistant City Editor

Police arrested Evanston city clerk Devon Reid early Tuesday morning in connection with failing to signal a turn and driving on a suspended license. Police also issued a city ordinance ticket for possession for cannabis.

Reid was driving in the 2400 block of Emerson Street on Tuesday at about 1 a.m. when he failed to signal a turn, Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew  said. When officers pulled his vehicle over, they discovered he was driving on a suspended license. Glew said arresting a person driving on a suspended license is routine procedure for Evanston Police.

Officers arrested Reid in the 9400 block of McCormick Boulevard in Skokie. After officers arrested Reid, they searched his car and found under 10 grams of cannabis, Glew said.

Reid told the Chicago Tribune, “there were some sprinkles of marijuana in a bag.”

Reid was released on bond this morning, Glew said. Reid did not attend City Council last night and was not in the office on Tuesday because he is “under the weather,” the city clerk’s office told The Daily.

Reid told the Chicago Tribune he was driving his roommate’s car to the hospital to pick up his neighbor’s kids and take them home.

He also told the Tribune his license was suspended in 2013 for driving without insurance but he hadn’t renewed it because he doesn’t drive often.

“This is a very rare instance of being behind the wheel,” Reid said.

The city has “no official response” to the incident, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz told The Daily in an email.

In 2016, Reid was wrongfully arrested while collecting signatures for his petition to run for city clerk. He was questioned in downtown Evanston by police and arrested for not providing his birthday to the questioning officer.

Officer Amy Golubski approached Reid because she believed he was in violation of a city ordinance that prohibits solicitation on Sundays. EPD and city officials later apologized to Reid for the “error.”

EPD placed two officers involved in the arrest on administrative leave. Later, one of the officers was reprimanded and the other retired.

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Twitter: @juliaesparza10