NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The emergency preparedness director for the city of New Orleans will be allowed to return to his job following his early January arrest on a driving-while-intoxicated charge, city officials said Thursday.
But Collin Arnold will first complete a suspension that has been extended from 20 to 60 days before he returns as Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s director of New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. And, New Orleans news outlets report, he also will lose his driving privilege for city vehicles.
“Mayor Cantrell has completed her review of the incident. Collin Arnold has been placed on unpaid suspension for 60 days, including the 20 days already elapsed. After that time, he is expected to resume his role as director of NOHSEP. In addition, his driving privileges for City vehicles have been revoked. We will have no further comment at this time,” a city spokesperson told news outlets.
Arnold has long had a prominent role in the city during emergencies such as approaching hurricanes and the 2019 collapse of a downtown building that was under construction. He has pleaded not guilty to careless driving and drunk driving charges following an accident earlier this month involving a city-owned vehicle.
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