Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Brian Poindexter's past arrests were revealed by a new report by a conservative outlet.
Poindexter, a Cleveland city councilman and former union organizer, was arrested in 1998 on suspicion of swallowing a rock of crack cocaine during a traffic stop and in 2013 for allegedly slapping a stranger at a Cleveland Indians game, according to police records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Democratic candidate is challenging Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, who already faces accusations of assaulting his ex-wife, including allegations that he threw scalding water on her and threatened her with a gun.
According to the 1998 police report, officers pulled over Poindexter, then 18, near a Cleveland intersection known for drug activity.
Poindexter allegedly took small objects from his coat and swallowed them, and a scuffle ensued as an officer tried to retrieve them, and police ultimately recovered what they described as a rock of suspected crack cocaine. Poindexter was arrested on a drug abuse charge, but it's unclear whether he was prosecuted. The police department did not respond to a request for comment.
A Poindexter campaign spokesman denied the drug allegation, telling the Free Beacon: "Any implication that Brian has used hard drugs is false."
Fifteen years later, on Aug. 10, 2013, Poindexter, then 34, was arrested for assault and removed from an Indians game after allegedly slapping a stranger, a separate police report shows.
The alleged victim, Bob Rzepka, told the Free Beacon the fight began after he watched Poindexter swallow a hot dog whole and approached to compliment him.
"I said, ‘Hey man, if I buy you a hot dog, will you shove that f---ing thing down your throat like you did, and can I get a video of it, because people will never believe me,’" Rzepka told the Free Beacon.
But he said Poindexter, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, took offense at the praise.
"He's like, ‘Hey, were you trying to insinuate something?’" Rzepka said. "I go, ‘No, man. I just think it’s crazy that you just shoved that freaking hot dog down your throat without even taking a bite of it, and then he just — wham — just smacked me right across the f---ing face."
Nearby officers removed Poindexter from the stadium, but Rzepka declined to press charges.
Rzepka, who lives in the district, said he was surprised to learn Poindexter is now running for Congress. "The guy who slapped me at a baseball game is running for Congress?" he said. "I wouldn't want him representing me."