Another Former East Greenwich Public Official Arrested

Former East Greenwich Town Councilor Michael S. Kiernan is due to appear in court on Friday to answer to charges of domestic disorderly conduct and domestic simple assault following his August arrest for fighting with a man on Church Street.

According to a police report, Kiernan was arrested shortly after midnight on Aug. 23 after police responded to outside a Church Street home for a report of a disturbance.

Kiernan was on the ground being restrained in a headlock by the victim when police arrived.

The men were separated and police concluded that Kiernan had initiated the fight after he was not allowed to enter the house where a birthday party was being celebrated.

Police said Kiernan was covered in blood from a cut on the top of his head and a cut on his leg. Police also saw a “significant amount of blood” on the sidewalk outside the house.

Kiernan allegedly was at the party earlier in the evening and there were no problems. He left for a brief time but when he came back, he was drunk, according to witnesses.

When he was denied entry, Kiernan reportedly became argumentative and then threw a punch at the victim who had stepped outside to speak with him about his intoxicated state, the police report stated.

A scuffle ensued and Keirnan was eventually restrained. He reportedly hit his head on the curb during the altercation.

The victim told police that he did not wish to file charges but police said they would pursue charges because the incident was domestic in nature.

Kiernan was treated for his injuries at Kent County Hospital before he was booked at police headquarters.

He was later released on $1,000 personal recognizance by a justice of the peace with a Sept. 4 court date in Third Division District Court in Warwick.

Kiernan was a three-term councilman first elected in 2008. He did not seek reelection in 2014.

Kiernan’s arrest follows the arrest of a former East Greenwich School Committee member on charges of driving under the influence and disorderly conduct after he smashed the window of a homeless woman’s van as she slept in a area park-and-ride lot.

John “Jack” Sommer, 46, of 90 River Farm Drive, pleaded no contest to the disorderly conduct charge and was ordered to complete 70 hours of community service and pay restitution.

The DUI charge was dismissed.

Rhode Islanders were outraged by Sommer’s arrest due to the violent and intimidating nature of the attack on the homeless woman.

During the attack, Sommer allegedly screamed at the woman to leave the area and yelled “this is not a homeless shelter” before smashing her window with a wrench.

The victim, an African American woman known by many in South County as a friendly and peaceful woman who constantly refuses offers for help, sat in shock with glass on her lap as she watched Sommer drive away in his Mercedes after the attack.

Like Kiernan, Sommer did not seek reelection in last November’s election.