A Missouri Democrat was arrested less than a day after winning re-election after allegedly trespassing at an apartment complex and threatening a couple.
Missouri State Representative Anthony Ealy Jr, 32, was detained Wednesday night in Jefferson City after he allegedly suffered a mental health crisis, with witnesses saying it began with the lawmaker crashing a funeral service.
Ealy allegedly caused a disturbance around businesses in the area and threatened bystanders, and police were called to a woman's apartment complex shortly before midnight.
Police said multiple witnesses reported Ealy yelling and causing 'chaos' in the street and outside businesses.
According to a police report cited by Fox4, Ealy threatened the woman's husband by referencing a gun and warning him: 'I'm going to kill you.'
Police said Ealy appeared to be having a panic attack and suffering a mental health episode at the time, and the police report notes Ealy had allegedly caused a disturbance in the area the night before.
Ealy is now facing charges of fourth-degree assault and disturbing the peace.
The lawmaker was arrested just hours after he was re-elected to another term representing Jackson County's District 36 in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Ealy cruised to an easy victory with 68 percent of the vote, as the Democratic Party swept midterm election races across the country and captured seats in many conservative strongholds.
Missouri State Representative Anthony Ealy Jr., 32, was detained Wednesday night in Jefferson City after he allegedly trespassed an apartment complex and threatened to 'kill' a man
The state lawmaker snarled in his mugshot as he was arrested hours after winning re-election
A witness to the incident that led to Ealy's arrest told Fox4 that the bizarre episode began with the Democrat disrupting a funeral service.
The witness said the lawmaker made 'quite the scene' at the service, and greatly upset a grieving family.
'It was definitely a scene; it was pretty chaotic,' the witness said, adding that they hoped Ealy would resign.
Before his arrest, Ealy celebrated his election win on social media, sharing a selfie to his supporters captioned: 'Reelect WE WON.'
Hours later following his arrest, Ealy was seen snarling in his mugshot.
Ealy was first elected to the Missouri legislature in 2022, when he became the youngest representative in the district's history.
Although he easily won re-election on Tuesday, Ealy was removed from all of his committee assignments in the spring of 2025 by House Democratic minority leader Ashley Aune.
Aune said at the time that she dismissed him from the committees so he could focus on personal matters.
Before his arrest, Ealy celebrated his election win on social media, sharing a selfie to his supporters captioned: 'Reelect WE WON'
Ealy was first elected to the Missouri legislature in 2022, when he became the youngest representative in Jackson County's District 36 history
Although he easily won re-election on Tuesday, Ealy was removed from all of his committee assignments in the spring of 2025 to resolve personal issues, officials said
The leader's chief of staff told Fox4 that there are no plans to reinstate Ealy's committee assignments in the 2027 legislative session.
The state's Democratic leadership had reportedly urged Ealy not to run for re-election and to allow someone else to take his seat, but he ultimately chose to run again.
Ealy remains in custody in the Cole County Jail. The Daily Mail has contacted Ealy's office for comment.
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