Who is Aaron Coleman, the embattled Kansas state rep. arrested twice in a month?
After being charged with domestic battery earlier this month, Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman on Saturday was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Coleman’s latest run-in with the law led to a group of his colleagues filing a formal complaint against him, launching a Kansas House investigation that could end in his expulsion from the Legislature.
In 2020, Coleman, 21, defeated Rep. Stan Frownfelter in the Democratic primary. Running in a heavily Democratic district, Coleman faced no Republican opponent on the ballot. He was sworn in as a lawmaker despite criticism and concerns already circulating about his past behavior.
In January, Democrats in the Kansas Legislature sought to have Coleman censured or removed from office because of an alleged pattern of abusive behavior predating his election in 2020. Neither happened.
Here’s a look at previous allegations against the freshman lawmaker.
Prior accusations of violence against women
Coleman has been accused multiple times of inappropriate and abusive behavior, including by a former girlfriend who said he slapped and choked her when they dated in November and December of 2019.
The woman, who spoke with The Star last year, said during the course of their relationship Coleman also spoke about her weight and became controlling about what she ate and drank. Coleman previously acknowledged being abusive toward his ex-girlfriend but disputed some of her characterizations and denied choking her.
In 2015, Coleman was arrested and charged with threatening to shoot a student at a Turner School District school. Police and court records show that Coleman, 14 at the time, was charged with making a criminal threat, a felony charge, in May 2015. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassment.
A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer stationed at Turner High School learned of a text message that Coleman sent saying “Imma go up to the THS and shoot her then myself,” with THS believed to be a reference to Turner High School.
Another peer said that when she was in sixth grade, Coleman bullied her to the point that she attempted suicide.
Separately, Coleman faced allegations that when he was 12, he obtained a nude image of a teenage girl and threatened to distribute it to others if she did not send him additional nude photographs.
Last December, seven incoming Kansas House Democrats — all women — called on Coleman’s resignation, demanding he face “accountability for violence against women.”
Threats against state officials
Following the November 2020 election, Coleman tweeted that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” Democratic primary in two years. “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” he tweeted.
He later deleted the post and said he shouldn’t have used the word “hit.”
Just prior to the August 2020 primary election, Coleman was criticized for making comments on social media that said he would get a laugh if a former Kansas Republican lawmaker contracted COVID-19 and died.
In late 2020, a stalking case was filed against Coleman after a campaign manager for former Kansas Rep. Frownfelter accused Coleman of sending her harassing messages, coming to her home twice, and seeking to have her evicted.
Coleman’s stalking case was dismissed in January.
A former staff member in Minority Leader Tom Sawyer’s office has also described threats Coleman made against her, saying also that he had called her and threatened physical violence against Sawyer before the election.
Wyandotte County Judge Kate Lynch issued a no-contact order against Coleman in December while the case was pending.
A legislative inquiry and a ban from KDOL
Coleman faced a legislative inquiry earlier this year over allegations of inappropriate behavior.
While the investigating committee found sufficient evidence to believe a pattern of concerning behavior existed, they ultimately issued only an informal letter of warning that amounted to a mild reprimand because the abusive behavior occurred before he took office. The panel advised him to find a mentor.
In mid-October, Coleman was banned from Kansas Department of Labor property after a top state official said he berated a police officer while trying to enter the agency’s headquarters in Topeka in September. If he violates the ban, Coleman was told the Kansas Department of Labor will ask law enforcement to pursue criminal trespassing charges.
According to a letter from Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Amber Shultz, a police officer confronted Coleman outside KDOL on Sept. 30 as he was repeatedly hitting a handicap access button for an employee-only door that required badge access.
Coleman, the letter said, attempted to go around the officer and insisted he be let into the building in a “loud demanding tone,” asserting he had access as a member of the Legislature.
Domestic battery charges
Overland Park police took Coleman into custody at 8:15 p.m. Saturday and he was booked into the Johnson County Jail at 12:45 a.m. Sunday, according to jail records.
He was booked on a charge of domestic battery, prompting renewed calls for his resignation.
Coleman pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from an incident involving his brother. If convicted of the domestic battery charge, Coleman faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $500 fine.
However, he may not ultimately be prosecuted. He is set to appear in court again at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 22 for the diversion docket — indicating he may reach an agreement with prosecutors to keep his case from moving forward.
DUI arrest
Not a month after his domestic battery arrest, Coleman was arrested again, this time on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Kansas Highway Patrol arrested Coleman at 1 a.m. Nov. 27 at mile marker 203 on westbound Interstate 70, according to Douglas County jail records.
Coleman was out on bond for his previous arrest and release from Douglas County jail on a $250 bond.
The arrest led to House Speaker Ron Ryckman for the first time publicly calling on Coleman to step down.
“Mr. Coleman’s actions continue to be a detriment to himself and others, and most importantly to the people who elected him to represent them,” Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, said in a text message. “I hope constituents recognize this and that Mr. Coleman will step down to get the services he needs.”
The Star’s Jon Shorman and Katie Bernard and the Associated Press contributed.
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 4:01 PM.
