Lawbreaking lawmakers remain in Kansas Legislature. Colleagues want to kick an accused one out.

This story is part of The Capital-Journal’s ongoing package previewing the 2022 Kansas legislative session. Follow reporters Andrew Bahl, @AndrewBahl, and Jason Tidd, @Jason_Tidd, on Twitter or go to cjonline.com for more state government and politics coverage.

A trio of convicted and accused lawbreakers remain lawmakers as the Kansas Legislature returns for its annual session this month.

The 2022 legislative session starts Monday, with three men who admitted to or were accused of breaking the law in the past year continuing to serve their elected terms.

One top legislator was convicted after cops said he led them on a drunken car chase down the wrong way of an interstate. He spent two days in jail.

Another lawmaker admitted to hitting a child in his private area while substitute teaching, but claims that either God or the devil made him do it. He lost his teaching license but remains a lawmaker, with a role in both education and judicial policy. His 90-day jail sentence was suspended.

A freshman legislator with a sordid history of alleged abuse has a criminal charge pending in a domestic abuse case, with a separate DUI arrest that could derail attempts at diversion.

Only one of the legislators responded to a request for comment.

Aaron Coleman

Rep. Aaron Coleman, D-Kansas City, has not been convicted of a crime but still faces calls to resign and a bid to oust him from public office.

The move from his Democrat colleagues came on the heels of a domestic violence arrest, a DUI arrest and being banned from a state agency due to alleged behavior with security.

Coleman has pleaded not guilty to the domestic battery charge in Johnson County. He is accused of hitting and spitting on his brother during an altercation and threatening his grandfather in October.

His bid for diversion in that case has been complicated by a second arrest.

The Kansas Highway Patrol arrested Coleman in November, accusing him of speeding, failing to yield and driving under the influence on I-70 in Douglas County. Prosecutors have not filed charges in the case.

The district attorney's office previously indicated they are waiting on both the KHP case file and test results from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

More: Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman hasn't been charged as DA awaits KHP case file and KBI test results

Coleman has been banned from the Kansas Department of Labor headquarters in Topeka after the agency said in October he allegedly attempted to trespass and spoke to security in a "loud and demanding tone." Officials accused him of "disruptive, intimidating and berating" behavior.

House Speaker Ron Ryckman, Gov. Laura Kelly and House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer have all called on Coleman to resign.

"I want to reiterate what I have said in the past: It is clear Representative Coleman is in dire need of help," Sawyer previously said. "For the sake of the state of Kansas, his constituents, and himself, he should resign and concentrate on getting the help he badly needs. The stress of the legislature is not a healthy environment for someone in this mental state."

A group of Democratic lawmakers filed a complaint against Coleman, seeking formal discipline. The six women in his own party argued that he "puts state employees, legislators, and visitors to the Capitol at risk and makes it unsafe for him to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives."

A select investigating committee has yet to meet.

Coleman was reprimanded but not formally disciplined last session by a similar committee for behavior prior to his election as a legislator.

An ex-girlfriend has previously accused Coleman of physically assaulting and threatening to kill her. For a time, Coleman was also the subject of a restraining order from a staffer of a political rival. He called for a "hit" to be taken out on the governor.

Coleman has admitted to cyberbullying and revenge porn while in middle school.

Mark Samsel

Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, was accused in April of allegedly assaulting two students in a classroom while substitute teaching.

One Wellsville USD 289 student told a Franklin County sheriff's deputy that Samsel manhandled him and kicked him in the groin, while another said Samsel grabbed her shoulders and made her uncomfortable. Videos showed him ranting about God, suicide and the devil during the outburst.

He was charged with misdemeanor battery but later pled guilty to three lesser charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. His 90-day jail sentence was suspended as he spends a year on probation.

More: Rep. Mark Samsel pleads down to lesser charges in substitute teaching outburst

Samsel is a lawyer, youth sports referee and former substitute teacher. He voluntarily surrendered his teaching license, though he continues to officiate soccer and basketball games.

In partially redacted documents, the Kansas State Board of Education determined Samsel engaged in "professional misconduct" and "caused students to fear for their safety."

In a six-page letter written on House of Representatives letterhead, dated Aug. 3, Samsel referenced religion and said he believed that God directed his actions in the art classroom.

"The outrageous stuff was not me," he wrote in the letter released by KSDE. "Whether it was heaven (the Holy Spirit) or hell (mania or the devil), only God truly knows."

He wrote at the time that mental health professionals concluded he suffered a manic episode, but that he did not believe it to be true.

Samsel said Friday his actions were the result of "an undiagnosed mental illness." He has sought treatment and said "nothing like this ever should happen again."

Among other committee assignments, Samsel remains on the Education Committee and Judiciary Committee, despite his criminal conviction stemming from an educational setting.

"Nothing like this has ever remotely happened before," he said. "I guess at the end of the day, my heart and my passion are still fighting for the future and our Kansas youth, which includes mental health."

He said his first-hand experience with mental health struggles will help him be a better advocate when addressing policy connected to education and the judicial system.

"You can read about these things and try to understand it," he said. "But until you've been through a mental illness or had mental health issues yourself, I think it's hard to have a good understanding. It brings a level of compassion and knowledge that you're trying to use to help others."

Samsel said it is difficult to talk publicly about mental health struggles.

"I hope and pray that most of (my constituents) can understand I had this isolated incident, and I'll take full responsibility for it," he said.

Gene Suellentrop

Sen. Gene Suellentrop, R-Wichita, initially held on to his Senate Majority Leader position after a March DUI arrest.

It wasn't until details from a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper's account became public in April that his caucus ousted him from leadership in a 22-4 vote. Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said at the time that it would be "awkward" to continue working with Suellentrop.

More: Gene Suellentrop ousted from Senate leadership post after DUI charges as caucus support erodes

The officer wrote in court documents that dispatch notified him of a wrong-way driver heading westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-470 near Burlingame at around 12:48 a.m. March 16. Topeka police found the vehicle near I-70 and Gage.

Suellentrop was later identified as the driver of the SUV, which narrowly missed causing at least two collisions with oncoming traffic. He didn't pull over, despite the trooper's emergency lights, prompting a wrong-way pursuit with speeds exceeding 90 mph. The chase ended when the trooper used a tactical vehicle intervention, which nearly caused the SUV to hit a barrier wall near I-70 and the Fourth Street bridge.

The trooper approached with his gun drawn as the driver did not respond to his commands. Officers smelled alcohol as they removed the driver from the vehicle. They got a search warrant for his blood. Testing showed his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.17, or more than double the legal limit to drive.

Suellentrop also called the officer "donut boy" while in custody and became "slightly aggressive," threatening to "physically go up against" the officer. The trooper was part of the KHP's Capitol Police unit.

Suellentrop was originally charged with felony eluding law enforcement and misdemeanor driving under the influence and reckless driving, but prosecutors dropped the felony charge as part of a plea deal where Suellentrop pled no contest to the lesser charges.

"There are many lessons to be learned from circumstances like these and I can assure you I've learned my fair share," Suellentrop said in a brief statement to the court. "I take full responsibility for my actions and I apologize for my actions. You will not see me in this court or any other court of law for similar infractions in the future."

He was sentenced to two days in jail, with another nine months of jail time suspended in favor of a year of probation.

Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Aaron Coleman, Gene Suellentrop, Mark Samsel serve during legal issues