Mayor and his husband had a bloody brawl — over who was drunker at a pride parade, cops say

An Ohio mayor and his husband were arrested Saturday after police say their trip to a pride parade ended with a bloody brawl.

At first, Elmwood Place Mayor William Wilson and his husband William Smith argued about when they should leave the Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival, police told WCPO. A woman who attended the parade with the couple wanted to leave early, police say, but Wilson and Smith couldn't agree on when they should head out.

That unidentified woman said she eventually got into a car with the pair, police told ABC13, but she exited the vehicle after Smith struck Wilson. She told police that Wilson and Smith were debating about who was drunker and who should drive home.

Wilson called police to his house at 8 p.m. that evening, according to WCPO. Officers say they found the mayor with a swollen shut eye — and Smith with a bloody face and bloody elbow. According to police, Smith also had glass shards on his back that "appeared to be the result of being smacked in the back with a picture frame."

There was evidence that both men sustained injuries from rolling on broken glass as they fought, police told Fox19. A police report indicates that broken glass was strewn about the couple's house.

Wilson also ran away from officers and medics, police told Fox19. He allegedly tried to hide inside his home and shut the front door on a cop.

The mayor shouted at neighbors during the chaotic ordeal, according to the police report obtained by WCPO. It says that Wilson "acted in a completely belligerent manner causing a significant disturbance in the neighborhood."

Neighbor David Cramp told ABC13 that he "figured something happened" when he saw Wilson in handcuffs.

He said he's seen the couple fight before, adding that it was "nothing physical, ever."

"He's a nice guy," he told the TV station. "I've been over at this house a couple different times, friendly, but in the past he's gone off the handle.

"I feel for Bill, you know, I don't know what happened to him, but if the mayor got arrested then that means someone else is hurt."

Wilson faces a charge of obstructing official business, according to Fox19, while police charged both men with disorderly conduct by intoxication and domestic violence.

In 2015, Wilson faced a charge of misdemeanor menacing after police said he threatened then-mayor of Elmwood Place Jerald Robertson. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Wilson allegedly told Robertson he would "kick his ass" and tear his head off during a council meeting.

Wilson told Fox19 that he did have a verbal confrontation with Robertson — but said "the mayor was going around spreading a malicious rumor" that prompted the exchange.

"A very, very severe rumor," he said. "I confronted him over it and his exact words to me were 'I can say exactly what I want about someone during election time.'" He added that Robertson's story had some "major discrepancies."

A week later, Wilson defeated Robertson in the mayoral race with over 90 percent of all votes cast.

This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Mayor and his husband had a bloody brawl — over who was drunker at a pride parade, cops say."