OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – FOX4 News learned Friday the Overland Park city council will discuss asking the Johnson County district attorney and the Kansas attorney general to investigate a council member charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.
Scott Hamblin has refused to resign his seat following his arrest in July. On the council agenda Monday night, whether to turn to a state statute that allows for “forfeiture of public office.”
Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach told FOX4 he’ll likely call for a vote from the council on whether to refer a complaint for investigation.
Mayor Gerlach added: “This is not about a criminal conviction. It’s about moral turpitude. It’s not a right to be a council member, it’s a privilege. You have to have the trust and respect of your constituents.”
Last week the mayor stripped Hamblin of his seat on the public safety committee, which oversees the Overland Park Police Department. But, Gerlach has said he does not have the power to remove Hamblin from the council itself.
Charging documents show Hamblin was arrested in July after police were called to his home for a report of a disturbance.
A police incident report said Hamblin was accused of physical contact with a person “in a rude, insulting or angry manner,” and police indicated they believed Hamblin was drunk at the time. Police reported damage to drywall in the home. No injuries were reported.
Hamblin has a diversion hearing on September 16 according to online records.
