De Blasio Called Police Over Arrest Of Transition Team Member

Bishop Orlando Findlayter

New York - A member of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s inaugural committee and transition team was able skip a night in jail Monday evening after being arrested in a traffic stop when the mayor called a top official with the police.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal de Blasio endorser Bishop Orlando Findlayter helped attain de Blasio’s support in the African American community and was part of the mayor’s inaugural committee and transition team.

Bishop Findlayter was pulled over by two NYPD officers at 11:21 p.m. on the corner of Clarkson Avenue and East 92nd Street in Brooklyn Monday night. The officers stated the bishop did not use his turn signal when making a left turn. 

When the officer’s ran the bishop’s driver’s license two warrants appeared from missed court dates in January stemming from an arrest at an immigration reform protest in October.

The pastor of New Hope Christian Church in Queens was charged Monday night with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle in the third degree and making an illegal left turn.

Typically, if a warrant is found during an arrest, suspects are held until being taken to court.

Emails from the mayor’s office were sent to the NYPD Tuesday morning. De Blasio also called Deputy Chief Royster to ask about the arrest. Chief Royster said he did not ask for the bishop’s release.

De Blasio spokesman Phil Walzak stated that the call was to get “clarification” that there had been an arrest.

NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis said the commanding officer of 67th precinct where the bishop was taken, Deputy Inspector Kenneth Lehr, personally reviewed the arrest. 

As court was closing at 1 a.m., Tuesday morning, Deputy Inspector Lehr decided to let the bishop go home for the night with the stipulation that the bishop would return to court the next day.

Bishop Findlayter did not appear in court on Tuesday according to court officials.