Senate candidate Dave Mejias arrested, arraigned

Updated: 9/2/10, 4:50 p.m.

Dave Mejias, a former county legislator making his bid as a candidate for the 6th Senate District seat, was arrested on Wednesday.

Police said Mejias was arrested following an incident involving an ex-girlfriend at noon on Wednesday.

According to detectives, Mejias was following his 34-year-old ex-girlfriend in his vehicle on Piping Rock Road in Matinicock. He passed her and abruptly stopped, which apparently caused her to stop her vehicle, police said.

Mejias, exited his vehicle and approached his ex-girlfriend yelling and screaming at her, detectives said. When the victim drove away from the scene, police said the defendant continued to follow her. She was eventually able to elude him, officials said, and then reported the incident to police.

Mejias was arraigned this morning in First District Court, Hempstead. He was charged with Menacing in the Second Degree; Stalking in the Third Degree and Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree-all A misdemeanors that carry up to a possible year in jail.

A judge set bail at $1000, and orders of protection were issued.

"I have nothing to hide, and have every confidence that when the facts
are known and established I will be completely exonerated of all charges," Mejias said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon. "I am fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation."

According to Carole Trottere, a spokewoman for District Attorney Kathleen Rice, a personal relationship between Rice and the victim prompted the office to appoint a special prosecutor for the case.

“The District Attorney’s office requested that a special prosecutor handle this case due to a personal relationship that exists between the victim, her family and the district attorney," Trottere said. "It is this office’s opinion that by appointing a special prosecutor, the office can easily eliminate any chance that there could exist even the mere appearance of impropriety surrounding the future handling of this case."

Mejias' press secretary, Akeem Henry, sent a media advisory late Wednesday night informing members of the press that a scheduled news conference about his campaign on Thursday morning was canceled. The advisory did not provide a reason. Henry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mejias, 39, of Farmingdale, was selected by the Nassau County Democratic Party to run against longtime incumbent Senator Kemp Hannon. But first, he is being challenged by Francesca Carlow, a Plainview business leader, in a Democratic primary set for Sept. 14. The 6th Senate District includes East Meadow, Salisbury, Garden City, Levittown, Lakeview, a portion of Franklin Square, Plainview and other areas in central Nassau County.

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