Police charge Austintown trustee candidate who allegedly injured husband

An Austintown Township Trustee candidate, who is also the wife of the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts, was arrested and charged with domestic violence Thursday after an incident at her home, according to Austintown Police Department records.

Emily A. Ciccone, 29, was booked into the Mahoning County Justice Center following a 911 call reporting a domestic altercation. A police report states officers arrived at the South Edgehill Avenue home just before 10 p.m. to a report that a female had attacked a male, who was "bleeding heavily." The third-party caller also reported that the female was threatening to kill the male and the children inside the residence.

According to the report, officers initially found the doors locked and announced their presence before Emily Ciccone answered. She was placed in handcuffs as officers entered the home to give aid to her husband, Michael P. Ciccone, 30, who is the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts.

The police report indicates officers observed Michael Ciccone sitting on a couch with a leg injury. He appeared confused and was sweating. An officer observed blood on the living room floor. Michael Ciccone was later transported to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital for his injuries, which the report noted would require stitches. He also sustained red scratches to his forehead and neck.

Speaking with officers at the hospital, Michael Ciccone stated he was in an upstairs restroom when his wife overheard him on the phone with a relative. The husband told police that Emily Ciccone had become "irate" and began throwing numerous items at him, including a coffee mug and an insulated cup. He said he did not recall what struck him but knew the cut on his right leg was from one of the thrown items. He stated he sat in the bathtub to prevent blood from getting on the floor before his wife began to help him and clean the blood from the floor.

The report states Michael Ciccone expressed his wish to pursue charges and signed a Domestic Violence Complainant Statement.

Emily Ciccone, when questioned at the scene, told police the altercation was "mostly verbal" and she did not recall most of the incident. She attributed her husband’s state to being "extremely upset” over a family matter. When asked if she threw a cup at her husband, she admitted to throwing a cup but denied throwing it at him.

However, one of the couple’s children told police his mother threw a coffee cup at his father, causing him to bleed. A police sergeant photographed a broken coffee cup and a sweeper with blood on it.

The relative who was on the phone with Michael Ciccone during the alleged assault was at the scene when police arrived. She took custody of the two juveniles, and a third child was taken by another family member.

Police also noted the residence was in a "deplorable condition," with items scattered throughout the house, old food on the counters, unclean dishes overflowing the sink, and used dog diapers on the floor.

Emily Ciccone is a candidate for one of the two Austintown Township Trustee positions on the November ballot. She ran as a Republican candidate for the Ohio 58th District Representative last year, losing to Democrat Lauren McNally.

According to court records, Ciccone is charged with one count of domestic violence.  She is scheduled to be arraigned in county court at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.