Aaron Coleman, the 21-year-old “progressive” state rep from Kansas with a history of both alleged and admitted abusive behavior, has been arrested on charges of domestic battery.
According to the Kansas City Star, “The victim in the case is either someone Coleman has dated, a relative or a household member, according to the complaint filed against him by an assistant district attorney. Further details of the allegations were not immediately known.” Charges involve allegedly “unlawfully, knowingly, or recklessly” causing bodily harm or physical contact with someone in a “rude, insulting, or angry manner.”
Coleman’s disturbing history
Coleman was elected to the state House last year, even after heaps of incredibly disturbing allegations came out against him. Coleman admitted to engaging in “revenge porn,” having blackmailed a twelve-year-old girl when he was 14, circulating nude pictures of her without her consent. He was arrested for threatening a school shooting and eventually pled guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge. And at least one former ex-girlfriend of Coleman’s has accused him of hitting and choking her.
After these allegations came to light, Coleman—along with some bizarre allies like media heavyweight Glenn Greenwald—tried to argue that he’d learned and grown and changed. That was very obviously not true. Coleman briefly and angrily suspended his campaign, blaming feminism for “uphold[ing] the status quo.” He also allegedly continued to harass and stalk his primary opponent’s female campaign manager even after the general election.
Just last month, Coleman was banned from stepping foot in the Kansas Department of Labor’s headquarters after he reportedly berated a police officer in a “loud, demanding tone” while trying to enter the property.
Will Coleman ever face consequences?
Last year, when Coleman’s history of disturbing behavior was making national headlines, a number of Kansas legislators—all women—called for his resignation. After he took office, a Kansas House committee ended an investigation into Coleman’s alleged and admitted abuse with a short, tepid letter of reprimand. The committee took no disciplinary actions against Coleman and only suggested that he find a mentor.
Coleman was taken into police custody Saturday night and is expected to be arraigned in court Monday afternoon. According to the Star, Coleman’s arrest has “prompted new calls for his resignation,” but it’s not clear what that looks like and if he is any more likely to face any professional consequences this time around.
(via Kansas City Star, image: Aaron Coleman, YouTube)
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