Body camera footage shows a shattered glass door and splattered blood after an alleged assault by a state representative who was indicted on counts of domestic violence and assault.
Glass covered the ground outside Michael Young’s home as he detailed the fight with his brother, state Rep. Bob Young (R-Green), in body camera footage from deputies obtained by News 5's media partners at the Akron Beacon Journal.
"He came, and I just lowered and charged," Michael told deputies. "And he went through the glass — landed right over there."
Michael says he was defending his home from his brother.
A Summit County grand jury indicted the North Canton representative. Young is charged with one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, and one count of assault, also a first-degree misdemeanor, according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.
"Long story short, his wife is here — she left, didn’t feel safe last night," Michael said. "Came here, hung out, and he found out where they were at this morning."
A deputy asked if wife Tina came over due to an argument. Michael responded that it was not an argument but an "altercation."
News 5 will not be showing Young's wife, but the body camera video shows her explaining to deputies what happened early that morning.
The alleged assault
According to a Summit County Sheriff's Office report, Young was arguing with a friend at his home around 1 a.m. on July 7 when his wife stuck her hand up in front of his face to "stop him from yelling." The lawmaker then grabbed her arm and struck her face with an open hand during the argument, the report states. She threatened to call the police, but Young took her phone and threw it into the pool.
One hour later, Young's wife arrived at the home of her brother-in-law. She went there to "seek safe haven," according to the report.
In the body-cam footage from the following morning, one deputy told another who was going to try to arrest Young at his home, "If you do get him, just take him to jail." Young wasn't home when law enforcement arrived, documents show.
No resignation
The Speaker of the Ohio House has asked Young to resign, but he refuses.
RELATED: Ohio House speaker asks Northeast Ohio Rep. Bob Young to resign amid domestic violence charges
On the same day he was indicted, Young provided his first comment since the arrest, stating that while inappropriate, he does not believe his behavior was criminal, and he will not be resigning from his state representative position.
“My life has been very stressful lately. On this particular evening at my home, we had some drinks and I acted poorly and said things I shouldn’t have. My behavior, while not criminal, was inappropriate and out of character. I apologize to everyone involved, including and especially my wife and children. I also apologize to my constituents.”
The representative will be in court on August 4.
Young also says he will be entering a counseling program, as well as getting back into his faith. His full statement below:
"Following the unfortunate events of July 7, there has been some inaccurate and unfair speculation on social media and elsewhere. This is a case that’s in the courts now, so I can’t talk about the details.
However, I can say this: no one is above the law and that includes me. I expect to be treated in the same way as any other Summit County resident would be in a similar circumstance.
Recently, I have undervalued Christ as a priority in my family’s life. I love my wife and my family, and they are most important to me. As a State Representative with a business, and a busy family of six, my life has been very stressful lately. On this particular evening at my home, we had some drinks and I acted poorly and said things I shouldn’t have. My behavior, while not criminal, was inappropriate and out of character. I apologize to everyone involved, including and especially my wife and children. I also apologize to my constituents.
I take pride in serving the people of my district and will continue to serve them even as I work through these issues. I know there are better days ahead, which is why I’m voluntarily entering a counseling program to address some of the issues that led to this incident.
I ask fair-minded people for grace to allow my family and I to deal with this privately and to reserve judgment until all the facts can be brought to light."
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