Days after he was charged with domestic battery and publicly scolded at a city council meeting, Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr addressed the allegations and his criminal past in a lengthy social media post Dec. 8.
In the statement, posted on his Facebook page “Councilmember Larry Carr,” Carr says he has “never laid a hand on a woman in anger” and denies the recent charges as well as a 2015 report that he battered the same woman. He admits his relationship with his longtime girlfriend—the alleged victim in both domestic violence reports—has been “toxic” for both.
He also says he has been uplifted in the days following his Nov. 25 arrest “by the responses of people who truly know me,” and opens up that he is now focused on “rebuilding” his relationship with his children and parents.
“I have lived my entire adult life in the public service arena and know I have standards to live up to and behaviors I need to exhibit,” the statement begins. “I owe this to my family, my friends, and my community. And, while I have made mistakes in my life, none of them involve violence.”
Morgan Hill Police arrested Carr Nov. 25 on suspicion of domestic violence after his girlfriend called to report he had assaulted her at the home they shared in the city’s downtown. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office subsequently charged him with misdemeanor domestic battery. Carr’s arraignment on this charge is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2018.
A review of court records by the Times found that Carr pleaded no contest to a similar misdemeanor charge in 2015, in relation to an incident at the couple’s former home in March of that year. Carr completed a 16-week counseling program, and was not fined or sentenced to any jail time. The court later dismissed the charge from his record, at Carr’s formal request.
In 1993, Carr was also convicted of misdemeanor driving under the influence resulting in bodily injury in relation to a vehicle accident in which he and two occupants of the vehicle he hit were flown to a nearby hospital.
He also addressed this conviction in his Dec. 8 statement: “ I have admitted to making a young stupid mistake 25 years ago, which I paid for, and have never even come close to making again. That mistake though has not defined me and instead I used that experience to commit myself to improving my community. While I did not advertise this transgression when I first ran for office in 1996, I also did not hide it and have made sure to share my learning with my son as he learned to drive and will again with my daughter when it is time.”
Of the 2015 no contest plea on domestic battery, Carr’s statement reads: “For reasons I now regret, I did plead no contest to a single charge—which was ultimately dismissed—in an effort to keep this situation from going to court which would then place my children in the spotlight they didn’t ask for nor deserve. Obviously, that decision did the exact opposite.”
Public comments
Carr’s statement comes two days after one of his colleagues on the council and a member of the public excoriated him in light of the criminal allegations.
City Councilman Rene Spring turned to Carr at the Dec. 6 council meeting and asked him to “make the right call and deal with your personal and legal issues in a more private setting.”
Spring added he is “still trying to wrap my head around” the recent reports of Carr’s arrest and convictions. “I haven’t slept well the past few days,” Spring admitted. “I find it extremely disappointing. It is really hard for me to find the right words. At times I am sick to my stomach.”
Spring admitted he doesn’t know if the allegations are true, but the reports don’t support the “highest respect” he has always had for Carr as a public servant.
During the public comment portion of the Dec. 6 meeting, Morgan Hill resident Ann Horner addressed the allegations and pointedly told Carr he should resign from office.
Horner noted that even though the other four council members don’t have the ability to remove Carr from the elected body, they could revoke his current title of Mayor Pro Tem.
“I cannot imagine myself moving forward seeing you there in between the city’s business,” Horner said to Carr. “I am asking you to step down.”
While Councilwoman Caitlin Jachimowicz didn’t specifically mention Carr’s case, she used the comment period before the council approved the agenda Dec. 6 to advise women on how to seek help if they feel they are in danger.
“I want to reiterate that if you are in immediate danger or somebody you know is in immediate danger, don’t hesitate to call 911,” Jachimowicz said.
She also advised the audience that anyone who has experienced intimate partner violence can call the Domestic Violence Crisis Line at 1-800-END-SADV (363-7238). Furthermore, victims can seek help anonymously and discreetly online by visiting safechatsv.org.
And anyone who feels threatened can “always walk into” City Hall, the library, community center or other city facilities and “get the help you need,” Jachimowicz said.
Carr did not return phone calls requesting further comment after he published the Dec. 8 statement.
Councilmember Rich Constantine did not speak publicly about Carr’s situation Dec. 6, but he told the Times that he is “sad for what Larry’s family is going through.” He also said he was “disappointed” when he heard about Carr’s 2015 conviction, but he declined to say whether he should resign from office.
He added, “There is no excuse for domestic violence.”
Mayor Steve Tate, who has been one of Carr’s closest and most loyal political allies in recent years, declined to comment on the allegations and crimes when contacted by the Times.
Carr is currently serving his fifth consecutive four-year term on the council. His current term expires in 2020.
