Congressional Candidate Expresses 'Shock' After Staffer's Breakup Leads To Arrest For Beer-Filled Burglary
According to local blog Boca News Now, Julie Reiser was arrested Saturday and charged with burglary, larceny and criminal mischief. The blog subsequently identified Reiser as McCline's "campaign director" and detailed the bizarre circumstances that allegedly led to her arrest.
On Monday evening, Boca News Now published what it described as a police report from the arrest wherein Reiser was accused of entering the home of her ex-husband, Adam Reiser, while her young former stepson was at home. According to the report, the child said he witnessed Reiser enter her ex-husband's room and remove two bags that she took to her car. Then, according to the report, the child claimed Reiser "came back into the house and took a 12-pack of Michelob beer" that she broke and poured over her ex-husband's possessions in the driveway outside. Afterwards, the report said, Reiser was found by police in Boca Raton, Florida and turned over to cops in Delray Beach, where the alleged incident occurred.
A spokesperson for the Boca Raton police department confirmed to Business Insider that Reiser was "picked up" on Saturday and turned over to the Delray Beach police. The Delray Beach police department has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Business Insider; however, a staffer in the records office confirmed they have a police report on file showing Reiser was arrested Saturday. The staffer said the records office could not release a copy of the report to Business Insider unless we traveled to Delray Beach.
The McCline campaign's statement described Reiser's arrest as part of "an ongoing domestic dispute and child custody battle."
"It's with great shock and dismay that Jameel McCline and the McCline for Congress campaign team discovered late today that new-addition staffer Julie Reiser was arrested this past weekend, in association with an ongoing domestic dispute and child custody battle between she and her ex-husband," the statement said. "While we wait for the full facts to come to light, we ask that the press and public show compassion for innocent children caught up in the middle of this melodrama, and patience in letting the legal discovery process unfold before passing judgment."
The statement also claimed Reiser was "incorrectly labeled" campaign director in news coverage of the situation. It described her as simply being a staffer who "hadn't yet received an official title."
McCline is a former professional heavyweight boxer. Prior to his boxing career, he spent five years in prison. The McCline campaign statement on Reiser published by Boca News Now included a statement from the candidate referencing his past legal woes.
"I, as an ex-felon who did 5 years hard time paying for a crime I committed in desperation, know all too well what it means to land on the wrong side of the criminal justice system," McCline said.
McCline did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
In addition to her work with McCline, Reiser was president and co-founder of "Made In USA Certified," a company dedicated to providing third party certification for products produced in America. Records show Adam Reiser was CEO of the company, which was based in Delray Beach. Business Insider called the company Tuesday and was informed both Julie and Adam Reiser were "not available."
McCline has made "manufacturing made in America products" a centerpiece of his campaign. He is one of three Democrats facing off against incumbent Rep. Alcee Hastings in a primary, which is scheduled for August. He seems to be facing an uphill battle as Hastings was unopposed in the primary in 2012 and won the general election with over 87% of the vote.