MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – A Martinsburg city councilman has apologized for his role in an altercation last week that left him with a misdemeanor battery charge.
Police say the incident occurred Friday at a rental property owned by Ward 5 councilman Jason Baker, 34, on Athletic Street in Martinsburg.
Baker allegedly battered a man who rented the property from him.
“It’s not something that I’m proud of, or condone,” Baker told WV Metronews affiliate WEPM.
Baker says he takes honor in being a city councilman, and that the incident should never have occurred.
Police records indicate the altercation occurred after Baker and two other men, including his father, fellow city councilman Mark Baker, had turned the property’s electricity off.
Pushes and shoves were exchanged and, according to police, Baker took the resident to the ground.