A newly elected Kansas lawmaker accused of threatening two state officials before taking his seat will get a public warning about his past conduct rather than facing possible removal from office. A state House committee reviewing a complaint against state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City, Kansas, said it will draft and send him a public letter of warning that will include expectations about his future conduct.
The committee's decision means a complaint filed against Coleman by 13 Democrats, including House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, of Wichita, will be dismissed. A new allegation against Coleman, however, became public Friday. Heather Sprague Scanlon, Sawyer's former chief of staff, said in a written statement that Coleman called her during the summer after House Democrats had denounced Coleman on social media and launched into a "raging diatribe." She said Coleman made threats to physically harm Sawyer.
When those statements were read to him, Coleman told the committee, "That is not accurate." But he later apologized to Sawyer and said he's willing to apologize to Scanlon for his "inappropriate conduct." He publicly asked for a Statehouse mentor and said he's spoken to his attorney about counseling. Coleman has previously faced accusations of abusive behavior toward girls and young women.
