Embattled Kansas Lawmaker Faces Calls to Resign Following Second Arrest in a Month
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A 21-year-old Kansas lawmaker is facing calls to resign after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving last month — his latest brush with the law since being elected in 2020.
Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman was arrested on suspicion of DUI Nov. 27, though he has yet to be charged over the incident, as investigators await the results of tests to determine what he was under the influence of.
"At this time, test results are pending from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation," Assistant District Attorney Ted Baird wrote in a report Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP
The November arrest comes on the heels of a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from an Oct. 30 fight Coleman had with his 18-year-old brother.
Court documents obtained by the AP allege that Coleman hit and spit on his brother after getting into an argument over his brother's plan to get baptized.
Coleman pled not guilty to the battery charges and has a hearing scheduled for Jan. 7 for that case.
He did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Lawmakers in Coleman's own party are urging him to resign in the wake of the arrests.
"Mr. Coleman's most recent arrest is further evidence that he is not fit to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives and that his continued presence in the Legislature is a disservice to his constituents," Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement obtained by Newsweek at the time of his most recent arrest.
House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer echoed those sentiments, saying in his own statement: "For the sake of the state of Kansas, his constituents and himself, he should resign and concentrate on getting the help he badly needs. The stress of the Legislature is not a healthy environment for someone in this mental state."
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Throughout his campaign and after getting elected in 2020, Coleman has been at the center of several controversies which have led lawmakers to call for his resignation.
The politician previously faced backlash after reports surfaced that he shared sexually exploitative images of teenage girls when he was younger, was charged with threatening to shoot a fellow student and tweeted about one day putting out "a hit" on a sitting governor.
In Aug. 2020, the representative admitted that he had harassed girls — including sharing a nude photo of one girl in retaliation for her not sending more illicit photos — when he was in middle school after stories surfaced about his abuse of women.
Asked by PEOPLE about those earlier controversies, Coleman said in November he wasn't "doing any press" and was instead "focused on getting to work for the voters of district 37."
