TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper drew his pistol on a Kansas legislator stopped for speeding when the lawmaker abruptly got out of his car holding his cellphone, the trooper said in a statement made public Wednesday.
The trooper's affidavit provides details about the arrest early Nov. 27 in Lawrence of Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City. Coleman is charged in Douglas County District Court with speeding and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and has a court hearing set for April 15.
In neighboring Johnson County, Coleman faces a misdemeanor domestic battery charge over an Oct. 30 fight with his younger brother, with a hearing set for March 30.
The 21-year-old lawmaker has had multiple legal problems since first running for the House in 2020.
In the Lawrence case, Master Trooper Michael Hamilton said Coleman was speeding west on Interstate 70, left the highway and stopped in a parking area.
Hamilton said when Coleman left his car, the trooper saw him holding "a black object" that the trooper later determined was a cellphone.
Hamilton said Coleman did not follow his orders and was "erratic." The trooper eventually recognized Coleman, having helped him with a tire change a week before.
Coleman was not in his Statehouse office Wednesday afternoon and did not immediately respond to a text seeking comment.
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