Columbus mayoral candidate charged with simple battery makes plea deal
Columbus mayoral candidate Steven Kelly pleaded guilty to a charge that was amended from simple battery to reckless conduct during a hearing Friday in State Court.
After Kelly filed paperwork to campaign for mayor last month, information about his criminal arrest record became public.
Kelly was arrested for simple battery in June after a domestic altercation with his wife, who also was arrested.
The battery charge against Kelly’s wife was dismissed this month. She testified in Kelly’s defense during the hearing, and her mother also attended to support Kelly.
Kelly’s wife told the judge that she believes Kelly was only arrested for his behavior when she was being arrested. She corroborated Kelly’s statement that he “did not strike” his wife.
Since her case had been dismissed, Kelly hoped his case would be as well. But the prosecutors did not think it was right to dismiss the case because alcohol was involved, Solicitor General Shevon Thomas told the Ledger-Enquirer.
During the hearing, Kelly’s wife spoke with a victim advocate multiple times. Kelly, with the help of a public defender, worked out a plea deal with the prosecution.
Along with agreeing to plead guilty to reckless conduct, Kelly also was ordered by Judge Pythias Temesgen to attend weekly courses on domestic violence and alcohol abuse for six months.
After Kelly completes those requirements, his 12-month probation will be reduced to unsupervised and non-reporting.
“I found it best to take a plea to something else instead of dragging this out,” Kelly told the Ledger-Enquirer. “That way me, my wife and my daughter can start to rebuild our family and get back to normal life.”
Learning that Kelly was a mayoral candidate played no part in how the prosecutors handled the case, Thomas said.
“I really don’t care about that,” he said. “My job here is to make sure that I treat every citizen fairly and to make sure that I do the right thing.”
The victim advocate ensured Kelly’s wife was aware of the negotiations between Kelly and the prosecutor, Thomas said, and they made sure she agreed with the terms of the deal.
This plea deal was fair, he said.
“(Kelly) doesn’t have a record of this same type of incident,” Thomas said.
Since Kelly did not have a history of similar incidents and was willing to partake in the counseling, Temesgen said, he agreed to honor the deal.
In regard to another arrest that resulted in a charge for driving under the influence, Kelly has now been informed that this case has been dead-docketed, which means prosecutors are not actively pursuing the case but retain the ability to prosecute it later.
Kelly and his wife are a unified front, he said, and they have agreed to campaign together as he runs for mayor. She was unavailable for an interview after the hearing.
“We know that our marriage was young,” he said. “And we’ve had some issues, but nothing more than any other married couple.”
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM.
