Update: The misdemeanor charge against Sen. Dickey has since been dropped, the Associated Press (AP) reported Oct. 9. Dickey said he had been wheeling his bike up a road, making his way back to the bike trail when he came across a group blocking the way. He was not a member of the group, according to AP.
Republican Iowa state Sen. Adrian Dickey was arrested in Carnarvon, Iowa, on Monday after allegedly blocking the road during a biking festival and refusing to move when prompted by officers, according to the Des Moines Register.
Dickey was allegedly among a group of people stopped in the middle of the road for nearly an hour and a half, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Des Moines Register. After allegedly refusing to move, Sgt. Jonathan Meyer apparently advised him that if he did not move, he would be taken to jail. Dickey then allegedly told the officer to “arrest him.”
Dickey was taken to Sac County Jail and charged with interference with official acts, a misdemeanor offense, per the Register. He was released on a $300 bond later that same day. (RELATED: Democratic Minnesota Lawmaker Arrested For DWI After Allegedly Drinking Alone In Liquor Store Parking Lot)
Iowa state senator arrested, charged with misdemeanor during RAGBRAI https://t.co/5JyF8mlBx5 pic.twitter.com/yL0FwPWVXE
— KTIV News Four (@ktivnews) July 27, 2023
“I am absolutely innocent of the charge filed against me,” Dickey said in a statement, the outlet reported.
The alleged incident took place during the annual RAGBRAI, an annual eight-day bicycle touring festival, according to the Register.
“Sen. Dickey was riding in RAGBRAI earlier this week. He and his team took an alternate route that led them to a place where several hundred people were blocking a road,” Matt Schultz, Dickey’s attorney, said, according to the Register. “Sen. Dickey and his team were trying to get through the party of people and onto the bike trail, when a misunderstanding occurred between the senator and a sheriff’s deputy. Sen. Dickey is innocent and believes that the evidence will show that he was not part of the party blocking the road.”
Dickey has served in the Iowa state Senate since 2021 and is the chair of the Workforce Committee, and vice chair of the Transportation Committee, according to the Iowa state legislature’s website.