"The Media Got It Wrong:" Former East Wenatchee City Council Member Speaks Out
Tidd, who was arrested after an altercation with his estranged brother who he felt was stealing from their mother, said that incident had nothing to do with his decision to resign from city council
The media is “manufacturing” a story about his resignation from East Wenatchee City Council, former Councilman Rob Tidd said Friday. It had nothing to do with his recent arrest on a domestic violence charge after an altercation with his estranged brother who he felt was stealing from their mother. Instead, it had everything to do with what he sees as a lack of transparency and leadership by East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford.
Tidd sat down with me for an exclusive interview Friday afternoon and we talked through what KPQ, NCWlife and the Wenatchee World got wrong in their coverage and why he really quit.
On advice from his lawyer, he declined to go into the details of his May 1 arrest at this time. Tidd’s due to be arraigned next week and once the case is resolved he said he’d be willing to talk about the details of what led to that arrest.
But I got the police reports from that call and will include excerpts in this article to provide context and clarity to the story. Subscribers can also read them in their entirety via the link at the bottom of the article.
I’m breaking this article into two parts, the arrest and the resignation, so we can give both separate subjects the proper amount of attention.
The Arrest
Tidd was arrested on the afternoon of May 1 after a physical altercation with his brother, Scott Tidd, at their mother’s East Wenatchee condo. Their mother, Jane, currently resides at an assisted living facility and Rob found Scott and his wife Lisa Still-Tidd at his mother’s condo when he went to pay his mom’s HOA fees. Scott and Lisa were trying to remove some of Jane’s property, a refrigerator, from the premises.
According to a report from East Wenatchee Police Officer James Marshall, when Rob arrived he asked Scott what he was doing. Scott responded by asking Rob if he could move a vehicle that was blocking the driveway. Rob asked why. Scott replied that Rob should ask Jane.
“At that point Scott went into the residence from the garage entrance and Robert explained that he followed,” Marshall wrote. “Scott attempted to shut him out. Robert stated he pushed his way in as Scott attempted to hold the door shut.”
Rob pushed his way in and Scott fell back against a railing, Marshall wrote. Rob told Marshall he then grabbed Scott in a “bear hug” and demonstrated the motion for the officer. Rob denied putting his arms around Scott’s neck, but Scott maintains Rob did.
Scott told Officer Knutson there was no choking though.
“I was told there was no neck squeezing, so Scott could breathe, and he did not see stars,” Knutson wrote. “Scott described that Robert was using his neck as a control point.”
