21-Year-Old Kansas Lawmaker Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge
‘EXTREMELY DISTURBING’
A first-year Kansas lawmaker who has already faced multiple accusations of misconduct was arrested on a charge of domestic violence over the weekend. Rep. Aaron Coleman was taken into custody by Overland Park police at 8:15 p.m. Saturday on a domestic battery charge, The Kansas City Star reports. While the unmarried Coleman’s domestic situation is unknown, the 21-year-old Democratic legislator has been accused several times of misconduct, including by a former girlfriend who said he slapped and choked her.
The arrest has led to renewed calls for his resignation, according to the Star. House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer called it “extremely disturbing news,” adding, “His constituents and the State of Kansas would be better served if he were to resign and get the help he badly needs.” Coleman’s colleagues had responded to his alleged behavior previously; after his election last year, a legislative committee handed the representative a written warning regarding his past conduct, calling it “unfitting.” Earlier in October, Coleman was banned from the state’s Department of Labor offices after it was reported he berated a security officer while trying to improperly access the department’s main office.