CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland city councilman known as a champion for the police has to explain why officers arrested him on drunken driving charges.

Ward 3 Councilman Zack Reed, 44, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to five misdemeanor charges in Cleveland Municipal Court, including DUI, refusing a Breathalyzer test, failure to use signal, failure to use a seat belt and improper passing.

He is appealing the automatic suspension of his license.

After his plea, Reed disappeared out a back entrance to the Justice Center.

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Reed In Court Mayor: Driving Under Influence Wrong

NewsChannel5’s Adam Shapiro asked Reeds lawyer, Timothy Ivey, about special treatment for his client. Ivey declined to comment.

Reed was arrested by police at 2:11 a.m. Tuesday when officers saw his red BMW go left of the yellow center lines.

Reed failed sobriety tests and his urine test registered a blood-alcohol level of .28 -- that's about 2 times the legal limit, NewsChannel5 reported.

He also had a scuffle with police during his arrest. A special prosecutor from Shaker Heights will decide if he should be charged with resisting arrest.

Interestingly, he chairs council's Public Safety Committee that oversees the police.

Reed’s next court date is May 24.