Richmond city commissioner arrested on DUI charge, says he made a ‘mistake’
Richmond City Commissioner Jim Newby was arrested by the Madison County Sheriff Office Friday, according to the Madison County Detention Center inmate log.
Newby was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and disregarding a stop sign. According to the log, Newby has since been released.
Deputy Jennifer Kermeen, a public information officer with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed Newby was arrested Friday afternoon but didn’t comment further.
Newby posted on Facebook Friday afternoon about the arrest, saying he made a “mistake.”
“I don’t give reasons or excuses for anything I do,” Newby said in his post. “I own everything I do. Good or bad. When I first ran for commissioner the first thing I said was I’ve done things in my life that I’m extremely proud of, and I’ve done lots of things I’m not so proud of. All of those things made me what I am.”
Newby said he hopes the community will continue to support him.
“As long as I’m up there I will always keep doing what I do,” he said. “I’ll never change who I am, but I still learn lessons every day. I realize I’m in a high position in the community, and I’ll always keep fightin’ for ya.”
Newby is running for reelection this year. He received enough votes in the primary in May to advance to the November election. Richmond commission seats are nonpartisan.
This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 2:06 PM.
