COLUMBUS, Ohio — Northeast Ohio lawmakers are calling for state Rep. Bob Young to be removed from his leadership position following his second arrest in two months.
Young (R-Green) is facing three charges: domestic violence, assault and violation of a protection order.
He was in court Wednesday morning via Zoom from Summit County jail and will be released on a personal bond as long as he is monitored by GPS.
Summit County Reps. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) Tuesday released the following statement after his second arrest:
“Though we respect Rep. Bob Young’s family and their privacy during this difficult time, Rep. Young’s alleged pattern of continued behavior directly conflicts with the values we uphold as elected officials and Ohioans,” said Reps. Galonski and Weinstein. “We have a responsibility to represent our constituents and our state with just and moral behavior. Rep. Young has unfortunately failed to live up to that responsibility. Therefore, we urge House Speaker Jason Stephens to sanction Rep. Young and remove him from his leadership position as chair of the House Pensions Committee.”
House Speaker Jason Stephens asked Young to resign in July after he was indicted on charges of domestic violence and assault. Two Cleveland-area Democrats have also called for Young to resign.
Young has refused and remains committee chairman of the House Pensions Committee, a title that carries a $9,000 pay increase.
News 5 reached out to Young and his attorney numerous times but did not get a response.
Arrests
Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Young Sunday after Summit County filed a warrant Saturday.
Young was found at his residence in Magnolia and was emotional, according to TCSO. The county doesn't have body cameras. He was taken into custody by TCSO, and hours later, SCSO picked him up.
Young was arrested and charged with two of the misdemeanors in July. One for domestic violence against his wife and the other for assault against his brother. In August, the lawmaker pleaded not guilty.
Both his wife and brother have restraining orders against him — which means no contact.
The most recent warrant for Young's arrest was issued after he broke the protection order by calling one of the individuals listed on it, investigators from Summit County said.
In July, he issued a statement that said the recent stress he was under caused him to act poorly. Young said that his actions weren't criminal but were "inappropriate and out of character." He said he had taken steps to seek counseling voluntarily in order to "address some of the issues that led to this incident."
In witness statements from the original incident, a friend of Young’s wife said the lawmaker also hit her — but the friend was more concerned about the wife.
“I was fearful for her 'cause I know he's abused her a lot over the years,” the friend said.
Back in 2020, police reports show that deputies were called on Young for a physical domestic disturbance. No charges were filed then.
Young is currently set for a pretrial hearing on the original two charges on Thursday at 1 p.m. He's pleaded not guilty to those charges.
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