Jonathan Kaye, a candidate for the 110th Representative District Republican primary, has come under scrutiny for his 1999 arrest on home invasion charges.
Jonathan Kaye, a candidate for the 110th Representative District Republican primary, has come under scrutiny for his 1999 arrest on home invasion charges.
Jonathan Kaye, a Republican candidate challenging State Rep. Reggie Phillips (R-Charleston) in the 110th District primary race, has come under scrutiny in a recent television ad regarding his 1999 arrest for home invasion.
The advertisement, released by Liberty Principles PAC, features excerpts from Mattoon Journal Gazette stories and a police report in which Kaye was said to have forced his way into a couple’s home and attacked them.
Among the quotes from a Mattoon Journal Gazette story on the incident used in the ad are: “Kaye began yelling…”; “…(Kaye) then hit the man twice”; and “Kaye grabbed the woman by the arms and forced her into the bedroom… .”
Kaye addressed the incident himself in a Jan. 12 posting on Facebook in which he recounts much of his life up until his run for state office, including his arrest for two Class X felonies related to home invasion charges.
In the post, Kaye reveals his side of the story, claiming he went to the couple’s home to settle a debt they allegedly owed him for not paying their bill to his trash service, Cumberland Rubbish and Recycling, in two years.
“There was never any violence or forced entry,” Kaye said on Facebook. “There was a lot of confusion, people in the room, and it lasted for seconds or minutes -- I just don't recall. I consistently asked why they hadn't paid their bill, and then the female came toward me. At that time, I put my hands in front of me to defend myself. That was the only contact.”
An excerpt from the police report said the arresting officer reported Kaye “appeared intoxicated” at the time of the incident.
“I left as soon as I could get out of there: it was very hot, confusing and short,” Kaye said. “That was the extent of it. I immediately went home, confused, shocked, scared and shaking. To calm myself, I drank as much beer as I could consume. An hour or so later the police arrived, arrested me and took me to jail.”
Facing six to 30 years in prison under the felony charges, Kaye accepted a plea bargain to lesser misdemeanor charges.
“Please keep in mind that this was a mandatory sentencing charge,” Kaye said. “That means that if I was convicted, I would surely go to prison. To me, suicide was a better option. I would have rather destroyed myself than incur that punishment.”
In the post, Kaye maintains the true story is different from what was depicted in the police report and the news. He goes on to describe the prosecuting attorney being new, in addition to “corrupt” officials in the county at the time of his arrest, who he implies are using his case to distract the public from their own misdeeds.
Further, Kaye portrays Phillips as misusing his arrest record for political purposes and implored voters to get past it.
“I ask you to consider this experience and allow it to be put behind us,” Kaye said.
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