City employee with history of arrests is back in county jail

36-year-old scheduled for arraignment today

7/2/2013
BY TAYLOR DUNGJEN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A city employee with a long record of arrests and domestic-violence allegations ended up in a police cruiser’s back seat again Monday.

Charles King, 36, of 172 Mettler St. was arrested on warrants for domestic violence, assault, recklessly violating a protection order, and violating a protection order. He was booked into the Lucas County jail pending an arraignment scheduled for today in Toledo Municipal Court.

Officers had staked out the Streets, Bridges, and Harbor building at 1189 W. Central Ave., when Mr. King drove by in a city dump truck just before 1 p.m. and was pulled over a few blocks away at Albion and Kress streets, where he was arrested, said Sgt. Joe Heffernan.

Mr. King’s estranged wife, Andrea Reid, who has a protection order against him, reported to police that Mr. King confronted her June 20 at Airport Highway and South Westwood Avenue. Ms. Reid accused him of punching her in the face and trying to pull her out of her vehicle by her shirt collar.

Because none of Mr. King’s charges are workplace offenses, the city cannot discipline him, said Jen Sorgenfrei, a city spokesman. However, if he misses five days of work unexcused and without vacation, sick time, or compensatory time approved, he may lose seniority and be subject to disciplinary action, Ms. Sorgenfrei said.

Hired by the city on June 18, 2004, Mr. King has racked up 34 criminal charges and 13 traffic violations since 2005. He and Ms. Reid married in 2007, county records show, and have at least one child together.

Many of the charges filed against Mr. King are for domestic violence, violating a protection order, and assault. Oftentimes, the charges are lumped together from a single incident.

Online court records accuse Mr. King of threatening Ms. Reid by telephone and text message and of appearing at her workplace, demanding to see her, and banging on windows. On Oct. 4, while Ms. Reid was on the phone with 911 dispatchers, Mr. King allegedly threw something through a window at her house, followed the next day by more threatening text messages.

Most of the charges against Mr. King were dropped in Toledo Municipal Court. One, an aggravated burglary charge, proceeded to Lucas County Common Pleas Court, but was dismissed in 2009.

Of the 14 domestic violence charges filed against Mr. King, all but one have been dismissed — the most recent, for which he is being arraigned today, is pending.

Ms. Sorgenfrei said job candidates are vetted during the hiring process, and scored based on charges and convictions.

Before being hired by the city, Mr. King had been found guilty of disorderly conduct and several traffic violations.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at: tdungjen@theblade.com, 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.