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AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — A Summit County grand jury has indicted state Rep. Bob Young, R-32nd, who is accused of striking his wife during a dispute at their Green home on July 7.

Grand jurors handed up indictments on first-degree misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and assault, according to a news release from county Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh.

Since the charges are misdemeanors, they will be remanded to the lower Barberton Municipal Court, and prosecuted by the Barberton City Prosecutor’s Office, according to the release.

Young’s wife told Summit County sheriff’s deputies the incident started at about 1 a.m. on Friday, July 7. She had intervened when Young started “yelling at her friend” at their home along Greensburg Road in Green.

“Robert then grabbed her arm, and struck her on the left side of her face with an open hand,” reads the report.

Another one of Young’s relatives claim they were assaulted by Young that day, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Young’s wife reportedly “sought safe haven” from her husband at her brother-in-law’s house later that morning, according to an arrest report released last week. The men scuffled and Young was thrown back through a glass storm door, according to the report.

Young also faced a fourth-degree felony count of disrupting public services in the lower court, accused of throwing his wife’s phone into a pool when she threatened to call 911.

“The grand jury reviewed all the evidence and determined the two misdemeanor charges were the appropriate charges in this incident,” reads a statement from a prosecutor’s spokesperson.

Young, 41, posted 10% of a $5,000 bond following his arraignment in the lower court on Saturday, July 8, and was released, court records show. A criminal protection order is in place.

Young released a statement Tuesday through a communications consulting firm:

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.

Statement from Ohio House Rep. Bob Young

Young denied “press interaction” beyond the Tuesday statement, according to an email from the firm. FOX 8 News has also reached out to Young’s attorney for comment.

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens of Kitts Hill, R-93rd, earlier this month said he asked for Young’s resignation following the incident.

Young is currently in his second term in the Ohio House, serving the 32nd House District which includes portions of southern Summit County, according to his biography on the Ohio House website. He was first elected in 2020, and his term expires at the end of 2024.