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Ohio Rep. charged for domestic violence had police called in 2020 for physical domestic disturbance
Ohio State Rep. Bob Young, R-Green, has pleaded not guilty to domestic violence. (Photo by WEWS.)
Years before Ohio state Rep. Bob Young was charged with domestic violence and assault, law enforcement was called to his home for a “physical domestic disturbance,” according to a newly-released report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
Just weeks ago, Young (R-Green) was arraigned and pleaded not guilty on charges related to alleged assaults on his wife and brother in July. Young is charged with one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor and one count of assault, also a first-degree misdemeanor.
The 2023 arrest
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 Tina 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.
New as of Tuesday, witness statements were released to WEWS’s media partners at the Akron Beacon Journal. One statement, in particular, comes from a woman who allegedly caught Young having an affair and confronted both him and the supposed mistress.
“Things got ugly,” according to the witness, as she said Young also hit her in the face that night.
The witness told deputies in her statement that she was nervous for Tina because Young has abused his wife “a lot” over the years.
OCJ/WEWS had heard of this allegation in July and tried to ask Young’s attorney John Greven about it, which he ignored.
One hour after the alleged assault, Young’s wife arrived at the home of her brother-in-law. She went there to “seek safe haven” with her kids, according to the report.
Young’s brother saw the lawmaker pull into the driveway and park in front of his house, the report states. He went outside and told Young that he was not welcome and was not allowed to enter the house. Young then “lowered his shoulder and charged” in an attempt to enter the home without permission, according to authorities.
At the point of initial contact, “a scuffle ensued,” according to the report. Young’s brother defended himself and pushed back, and the lawmaker went through the glass storm door, the report states. Both men sustained injuries.
Body camera footage shows a shattered glass door and splattered blood after the alleged assault.
The lawmaker told OCJ/WEWS that his “behavior, while not criminal, was inappropriate and out of character.”
But newly released records to the Akron Beacon Journal show that the police were called on him for a domestic incident in 2020.
The 2020 incident
A deputy responded to a call at 2:20 a.m. in May of 2020 at the then-Republican candidate’s home in North Canton.
When the deputy arrived, he found Young’s wife Tina crying. She didn’t want to speak to the deputy, according to the report.
The deputy reported that he tried to talk to Young, but the now-lawmaker would “not say a word,” and that “Mr. Young refused to answer any questions, opting to smugly stare at the ground.”
Young had scratches on his face, but said he didn’t know how he got them, the incident report states. Tina had no visible injuries but also refused an evaluation.
Only Tina was listed as the victim on the report. She didn’t press charges.
A few months later, Young launched an attack ad against his opponent for the Ohio House, accusing Democrat Matt Shaughnessy of being guilty of domestic abuse. The rival has never been charged with any allegation. Once again, no charges were pressed against Young at that time either.
However, Young is being sued by Shaughnessy for lying about him.
“I’m actually saddened to hear of these allegations. Is it ironic that the guy who accused me of being guilty of domestic violence? Absolutely,” Shaughnessy said. “But domestic violence always has victims, and my thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Young’s family right now.”
OCJ/WEWS reached out to Young and his attorney with questions to clarify the 2020 incident but did not hear back.
What’s next
Speaker Jason Stephens told OCJ/WEWS he stands by his original statement that Young needs to resign.
The representative has refused to do so.
The General Assembly is currently on summer vacation and isn’t set to return until September. Young is currently the chair of the Pensions Committee. It is unclear if he will remain chair this fall, and OCJ/WEWS has reached out to Stephens to follow up further.
Young will be in court for a pre-trial hearing on his 2023 arrest on Aug. 31.
The lawmaker’s 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.”
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
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