AUSTINTOWN — Facing a domestic violence charge, Emily A. Ciccone withdrew as a candidate for Austintown trustee.

In a letter to the Mahoning County Board of Elections, Ciccone wrote: “After careful consideration of personal, professional and other relevant factors, I believe stepping down from this race is the most responsible course of action at this time. I remain deeply committed to the values and goals that initially motivated my campaign and to the well-being of our community.”

With Ciccone, who lost a state representative race last year as a Republican, out of the trustee race, there are now five candidates running for two seats. They are incumbents Robert Santos and Monica Deavers as well as Jim Davis, a former trustee; Michael Rapovy, a former Youngstown councilman, and Carl L. Clay.

Early voting started today. The election is Nov. 4. Any votes cast for Ciccone won’t be counted.

Ciccone was arrested Sept. 25 on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of domestic violence for an alleged incident involving her husband, Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael Ciccone, following an argument at their South Edgehill Avenue home in Austintown.

She pleaded not guilty Sept. 29 to the charge, paid a $3,500 bond and was released from Mahoning County jail. She was ordered to have no contact with her husband or their three children for the duration of the case.

Michael Ciccone on Sept. 30 filed a civil protection order against his wife for himself and their children. The order required her to surrender her gun and temporarily invalidated her concealed carry permit.

Court records show her parents’ East Garfield Road address in Petersburg as her residence. By not living in Austintown, Ciccone’s residency as a candidate could be questioned had she not withdrawn.

In her letter formally withdrawing, she wrote: “Though I will not be continuing as a candidate, I plan to remain actively engaged in the civil process and will continue to advocate for the issues that matter most to our community.”

Judge Scot D. Hunter recused himself Sept. 30 from the case stating the clerk of courts “provides services associated with the operations” of the court.

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy assigned Robert Lavery, a retired Alliance Municipal Court judge, to oversee Ciccone’s case as visiting judge. A pretrial hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 14.

She told officers that her husband “was mad about his life, which ensued into an argument,” according to the police report. She also told police that her husband was “extremely upset” about his parents separating and brought up that the two of them should also separate, the report states.

Michael Ciccone told police he was sitting on the toilet when his wife threw numerous objects at him, including a coffee mug and a Stanley drinking cup, and one of them struck him on the right leg causing him to bleed, according to the police report. He was treated for injuries to his leg at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

Ciccone told police he would need stitches for his injuries and that he wanted to press criminal charges against his wife.

He told police he called Jennifer J. Ciccone, chief deputy clerk of courts and not related to the couple, to pick him up at his home to “alleviate the current argument,” with his wife becoming “irate” when she heard the conversation, according to the police report.

After noticing the bloody leg, Michael Ciccone told police his wife tried to help him by placing a towel on the injury and then she cleaned the blood from the floor while he sat in the bathtub to stop more blood from getting on the floor, according to the report.

Austintown police Patrolman Connor Grenier wrote in a report that he saw several red scratches on Michael Ciccone’s forehead area and the right side of his neck, which the victim said were caused by his wife.

When police arrived, Michael Ciccone was sitting on the living room couch with blood in the room and he “appeared to be heavily sweating, confused” and had an injured leg, according to the police report.

The couple has three children with at least two at home at the time of the incident. Their oldest son told police that his mother threw a coffee cup at his father causing the injury, the police report states. Emily A. Ciccone denied the allegation and then said she did, according to the report.

Jennifer J. Ciccone showed police the broken coffee cup and a blood-stained vacuum cleaner allegedly used to hit Michael Ciccone, the police report states.

The police report stated officers responded after Jennifer J. Ciccone called emergency dispatch saying there was a domestic altercation at the Ciccone home and that Emily A. Ciccone “was threatening to kill the male and the children inside of the residence,” according to the report.

Frank Cassese, Emily A. Ciccone’s attorney, contends his client “intends to offer evidence and argue self-defense in this matter. Defendant intends to put forth evidence that the alleged victim has physically abused her on numerous occasions prior to the incident that occurred on Sept. 25. Furthermore, on Sept. 25, the alleged victim physically assaulted the defendant which caused her to act in self-defense.”

Among those she intends to call as witnesses include Jennifer J. Ciccone and her husband, Dan Superak.

Mahoning County court records do not show any criminal charges filed against Michael Ciccone.

Grenier wrote in his police report that the interior of the Ciccone home was “in deplorable condition.”

He wrote: “I observed numerous items scattered across the floor in every room of the house along with numerous used dog diapers (lying) on the floor. Furthermore, I observed the kitchen area of the house to have old food items scattered across the counters to the point where the counters were not visible. The kitchen sink was also overflowing with unclean dishes and old food items. The children’s rooms were also filthy with toys and numerous items covering the floor.”