Magistrate denies arrest warrants for councilor arrested for assault

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – A magistrate has dismissed arrest warrants for a Portsmouth city council member who was arrested Tuesday on domestic violence and battery charges, police say.

Councilman De’Andre Barnes was arrested after a citizen claimed he saw him dragging a woman into a car, according to police. However, police say the arrest warrants were dismissed and he was released.

This all happened after a citizen called the police around 7:45 am. The citizen claimed they saw a “black woman with a backpack screaming as she was being dragged by a black man,” police said. The citizen also alleged that the man forcibly pulled the woman into a car.

Police say they arrested Barnes after interviewing everyone involved, including an independent witness.

After his arrest, police say they turned over evidence to the magistrate to obtain an arrest warrant. After the magistrate dismissed the warrant, Barnes was released.