Ex-Councilman May Face Charge in Confrontation With Woman

Pasadena’s prosecutor is considering charging former Councilman Isaac Richard with misdemeanor battery after his arrest on suspicion of hitting a woman with a telephone.

City Prosecutor Tracy Webb will make a decision by Sept. 19, when Richard is scheduled to appear in court on the charge.

Richard’s tenure on the council from 1991 to 1995 was marred by arrests on suspicion of threatening a group of youths with a handgun and of disrupting a council meeting. He was not charged in either case. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges in another case, involving a confrontation with a bus driver.

The latest incident occurred Aug. 6. Cathrina Carter, who said she was renting a Forest Avenue house from Richard, said he came to the house to collect $650 in rent, which she did not have, according to the police report. Carter told police Richard forced his way into the house, grabbed the phone from her and struck her with it.

Richard told police Carter was living at the house without permission and jumped him when he asked her to leave. Richard, who now lives in Northern California, denied assaulting Carter, police said.

Neither Carter nor Richard could be reached for comment.