A 21-year-old Kansas lawmaker is facing renewed calls to resign after being arrested for a second time in less than a month – this time for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Aaron Coleman made headlines in August 2020 when he won the Democratic primary for a Kansas House of Representatives seat after his campaign was overshadowed by his admissions that he had sent revenge porn and bullied girls online in middle school.
He went on to win the general election, despite state Democratic leaders’ efforts to block him from taking office.
A year later, Mr Coleman is again embroiled in controversy following two arrests in the span of 28 days.
The most recent arrest for a suspected DUI came at around 1am Saturday when Mr Coleman was pulled over on Interstate 70 near Lawrence.
He was booked into the Douglas County Jail and was released on $250 within less than an hour.
At the time of that arrest, Mr Coleman was out on bond after domestic battery charges from four weeks earlier on 30 October.
In that case, Mr Coleman allegedly pushed, struck and spat on his 18-year-old brother during a fight over the younger sibling’s plan to get baptised, according to court records obtained by the Associated Press.
The arrests are part of a string of erratic behaviour by Mr Coleman, who was banned from the Kansas Department of Labor’s offices last month over allegations of disruptive conduct.
Both Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, a Republican, and Democratic Gov Laura Kelly have joined the chorus of those calling for Mr Coleman to resign.
If he refuses to resign, Ms Kelly said, the Legislature should remove him from office, saying his latest arrest “is further evidence that he is not fit to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives”.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
