Former state Rep. Bob Young's wife says she didn't call 911 'because he scares me'
The wife of former state Rep. Bob Young testified during his bench trial Tuesday that he hit her in the side of the face after they got into an argument in July at their Green home.
"I felt discombobulated," she testified in Barberton Municipal Court. "I couldn't hear out of my ear."
His wife, who cried often during her testimony, said she didn't immediately call 911 because she was afraid of what her husband would do.
"I feel like he would have made me pay for it," she said.
"What makes you feel that way?" Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Roberts asked.
"Because he scares me," she responded.
Young, though, testified during his trial for two misdemeanor charges that it was his wife who slapped him. He said he might have accidently brushed his wife when he raised his hands to defend himself.
"Did you intentionally slap your wife?" asked John Greven, one of Young's two attorneys.
"Absolutely not," Young responded.
Young's trial wrapped up in a day, with it now left to Visiting Judge Edward O'Farrell to decide if the former state lawmaker is guilty of domestic violence and assault. The assault charge involves an incident with Young's brother.
O'Farrell said he needed some time to deliberate and will announce his ruling at noon Thursday.
Both charges are first-degree misdemeanors, each punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Young waives his right to a jury trial for two initial charges
Young, 42, waived his right to a jury trial and opted to have a bench trial before O'Farrell instead.
Young's trial focused on the two charges that first landed him in trouble involving accusations that he slapped his wife on July 7 and, later that morning, charged at his brother when his brother blocked him from entering the home where Young's wife had fled. In the tussle, Young broke the glass in the door to his brother's home.
Young's three subsequent misdemeanor charges for allegedly having contact with family members in violation of a protection order will be handled at a later date.
Young, a Republican from Green, resigned in September effective Oct. 2 as political pressure mounted since his original arrest and his later charges.
House Republicans are still in the process of picking Young's replacement, with the local party recommending Jack Daniels, an at-large New Franklin City Council member.
Young's wife says incident followed GOP fundraiser
Young's wife, who was the first to testify, said the July 7 incident happened after a fundraiser attended by several high-ranking Republicans, including House Speaker Jason Stephens.
Following the fundraiser, several people, including Stephens, went to a Portage Lakes bar and then to the Youngs' house for a pool party.
Young's wife said the trouble happened later that night when Young got upset about something her friend said to one of his Columbus colleagues. This prompted a shouting match between Young and her friend, with everyone else hastily leaving the party.
His wife said she and Young were arguing outside by their pool when she put her hand in his face because he wouldn't stop yelling. She said she picked up her phone and he said, "What do you think you're going to do with that?" She told him, "I'm going to call for help."
She said the two of them struggled over the phone and he struck her in the left ear, then threw her phone in the pool.
The wife said her 16-year-old daughter drove her and her 7-year-old son to the home of Young's brother, who lives nearby. She said they shared what happened with Young's brother and his wife but she didn't want to call 911.
"I didn't want my family to go through this," she said, crying. "We were going to have a family meeting."
She said she couldn't hear after the incident and had pain in her left ear. She went to the doctor where she got drops and then went to an ear specialist where she got medicine. She said she still hears what sounds like white noise in that ear.
The wife said she hasn't filed for divorce but has spoken with an attorney. The couple has been married 18 years.
Greven asked if a domestic violence conviction for Young would make the divorce easier for her, with visitation and custody likely to be issues.
"I have no idea," she said. "We never talked about that."
Couple's teenage daughter corroborates mother's account
The couple's 16-year-old daughter testified that she was awoken that night by her 7-year-old brother, who said their parents were fighting.
She said she went to a window that has a view of the pool and saw her father slap her mother on the left side of the face.
"Is there any doubt in what you saw?" Roberts asked the teen.
"No," she said.
The teen said she went downstairs and yelled an expletive at her father, followed by "I seen you!" which was picked up on a surveillance video played in court. She said she drove her mother and younger brother to her uncle's home.
Mike Callahan, Young's second attorney, asked the teen about her telling deputies that her brother said he'd seen their father hit their mother when he woke her up. If that was the case, Callahan said, there's no way the teen saw what happened.
The teen, though, who stayed calm during her testimony, said she's not sure what her brother saw. But, she said, she's sure what she saw.
"It's pretty clear you’re on team mom," Callahan said.
"When she gets abused, someone has to help her," the teen responded.
Young's brother says he wasn't letting Young into his home
The next morning, Young found out where his wife was and went to his brother's house.
His brother testified that he wasn't going to allow Young into his home and met him on his front porch.
A Ring doorbell video showed Young pull up outside the house, go up the stairs and then get into a tussle with his brother, with the glass broken in the storm door during the scuffle.
"Do not come into my house!" his brother shouted.
"Your arm is cut," he told Young.
"I'm here to see my wife," Young said.
Young's sister-in-law called 911, and Young left.
Callahan pressed Young's brother about whether he was the aggressor and not Young.
"You're the one who initiated contact," Callahan said.
"I defended myself," the brother responded. "I prevented him from going into my house."
Young claims he was the victim in both incidents
Young maintained he wasn't to blame in either incident involving his family members.
Young said he was upset with his wife's friend for insulting his political colleagues and this then resulted in an argument between him and his wife. He said he wanted his wife's friend to leave and his wife defended her friend.
Young said his wife slapped him on the right side of his face. He claimed he didn't hit her, or at least not intentionally.
"I may have hit her hand so she would not hit me again," he said. "I raised my hands up."
In the other incident, Young said his brother was the one who made the first contact. Young said he fell into the storm window, injuring himself.
Roberts asked Young if his contention that he didn't strike his wife means that his daughter is a liar.
"If I have to answer yes or no ..." Young said.
"Yes," he said, calling her "a liar."
Young's daughter, who listened to the testimony in the gallery, smiled when he said this.
Roberts, the prosecutor, also asked Young about an image from surveillance footage that Young sent his daughter that he claimed showed her mother striking him. She said the video the image was taken from showed the fight between him and his wife, but Young never provided the video to his family or deputies.
"We don’t have that video," Roberts said. "You're the only one had access to it."
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Bob Young's wife says he hit her after an argument in July
