While no sexual assault charges were included, State Rep. Brian Ellis' brushes with the law in his youth nearly cost him his first election.

According to Eagle news articles from 2004, Republican campaign officials in Harrisburg abandoned Ellis, R-11th, as their candidate after learning the candidate, then 34, had four arrests on his record.

Ellis pleaded guilty to two charges of underage drinking and one charge of possession of a small amount of marijuana, all of which occurred when he was under 21 years old.

The drinking cases occurred when Ellis was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh and again two years later while attending a concert at the Star Lake Amphitheater in Washington County.

The marijuana charge came when he was cited for smoking a marijuana cigarette in 1989 while at a friend's dorm on the West Virginia University campus.

In 1994, Ellis was arrested for DUI in Centre County and had the charge expunged after completing the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

Ellis acknowledged that he was arrested after leaving a bar in State College, where he was visiting friends.

“It's something I'm ashamed and embarrassed about,” Ellis said in 2004. “Since my last offense, I've changed my life. I got married, had two children and took over the reigns of my family business.”

The state Republican campaign officials decided to dump Ellis because they did not want to risk the large amount of money that was to be poured into the 11th District race in 2004.

Ellis went on to win the 2004 primary with 3,016 votes to opponent Marci Mustello's 2,145.