Former Lemon Grove City Councilmember Liana LeBaron was handcuffed, arrested and cited for disrupting the council’s meeting Tuesday evening.
The arrest occurred after LeBaron, who served four years on the council and lost a bid for mayor last November, interrupted a council discussion from the audience and then refused to leave the meeting as requested by Mayor Alysson Snow.
The incident leading up to the arrest happened a few minutes after LeBaron spoke to the City Council during the public comments section of the meeting.
In her first appearance before the council since leaving office, LeBaron said they should stop delaying a public meeting on the county’s proposal to place 70 sleeping cabins for homeless people near Lemon Grove and she asked them to take a stand on the issue.
As council members discussed an upcoming meeting with county officials on the issue minutes later, LeBaron spoke up from the audience to ask their position on the cabins.
Snow immediately told LeBaron that she was receiving her first warning to not interrupt the meeting and that she next would be asked to leave the building.
“I’m not leaving the meeting, ma’am,” LeBaron replied.
“Please leave the meeting,” Snow again said.
“I’m not leaving the meeting,” LeBaron said again.
At that point, Snow called for a short recess and two deputies approached LeBaron.
“This council is not going to have me arrested,” LeBaron said. “She told me to stop, and I did.”
As deputies began to escort her out, LeBaron said, “Take your hands off me.”
Once outside the Lemon Grove Community Center and beyond the view of council members, deputies handcuffed LeBaron and had her sit on a bench for several minutes before moving her to the back seat of a nearby sheriff’s vehicle.
While in the vehicle, deputies prepared a citation under California penal code 602.1 (B), which covers interfering with any lawful business and refusing to leave the premises after being requested, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a fine up to $400, or both.
“I’m very confused about what happened,” LeBaron said as deputies read her her rights. “All I did was make a comment that maybe the mayor didn’t like, and now I’m in handcuffs.”
After her rights were read and she was issued the citation, LeBaron was let out of the vehicle and not detained.
After the meeting, Snow said she did not know what had happened outside the Community Center and did not intend for LeBaron to be forcibly removed.
“It’s not what we wanted to happen,” Snow said Wednesday morning. “Unfortunately, the former council member knew how meetings are supposed to be conducted, and she decided to scream and yell at the back of the room and was given a couple of warnings and asked to leave.
“We’re really actively trying to listen to the community, trying to hear their voices, and we’re looking forward to better communication going forward,” Snow added.
During her time on the council, LeBaron had once faced a censure resolution that demanded she stop what was called “obstructive,” “bizarre” and “inappropriate behavior.” The resolution did not pass.
LeBaron also had been accused of disrupting meetings while on the council, and in turn said she was trying to hold council members accountable by asking tough questions.
Outside of controversy on the City Council, LeBaron had been arrested twice in recent years. In April 2022, LeBaron was arrested when her then-husband accused her of assault, and in January 2024 she was arrested on suspicion of violating a temporary restraining order against her for domestic violence.
The proposed sleeping cabins has been a controversial issue in Lemon Grove, and several community members have asked for a council hearing on the issue for months.
Lemon Grove resident Ken King, who regularly has appeared before the council to ask to put the cabins on the agenda, also spoke on the issue during the public comment period Tuesday and later spoke up from the audience shortly before LeBaron.
After being warned by Snow not to interrupt the meeting, King voluntarily walked to the exit.
Both King and LeBaron had reminded council members that they had said there would be a February meeting about the cabins, which still had not been scheduled.
During the meeting, City Manager Lydia Romero announced that San Diego County officials have agreed to appear at the Lemon Grove City Council’s March 4 meeting to discuss details about the cabin proposal. That meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Alvarez Auditorium, 3121 School Lane, which has a larger room than the Community Center.
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