A Democratic leader in the Colorado House of Representatives apologized Tuesday to two women with whom he was involved years ago after a report surfaced that he had been arrested twice on suspicion of domestic violence, but he also denied he had committed “any violence against the women.”

State Rep. Jovan Melton of Aurora, the Democratic deputy majority whip of the Colorado House, issued the apology after The Denver Post reported the arrests, which happened 19 and 10 years ago.

Both incidents took place before Melton, 39, was first elected in 2012 to the General Assembly from House District 41 in Arapahoe County. He is running unopposed for his fourth and final term in the House next month.

In a statement to Colorado Politics, Melton acknowledged that “violence or aggression against women is never OK,” and that the Post story, as well as police reports detailed by the Denver newspaper, “demonstrate that as a young man I fundamentally lacked the emotional acuity to be able to properly manage emotional and stressful situations.”

According to The Post, the first arrest, on suspicion of trespassing and harassment related to domestic violence, took place in 1999 when Melton was 20 and a student at the University of Colorado Boulder in an incident involving a then-girlfriend, also a CU Boulder student.

The woman alleged the two had been arguing at her apartment and that Melton grabbed her by the throat, but an officer on the scene wrote he could find no “marks, bruises or indications that such actions had occurred,” The Post said.

Melton was convicted of harassment, placed under a permanent restraining order and given a 12-month deferred sentence.

In the second incident, in 2008, Melton was arrested after a car accident in which his then-girlfriend claimed he had assaulted her. He was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, but the matter was later dismissed.

“While I categorically deny any allegations that suggest any violence against the women involved, I am both embarrassed and heartbroken to be reminded of my immaturity all those years ago,” Melton told Colorado Politics. “As a victim of childhood violence, to have caused pain and anguish for these women is horrible and for that I am sorry. I hope that both women can forgive me for the emotional pain that I’ve caused them.”

Melton is vice-chair of the eight-member Black Democratic Legislative Caucus, serves on the Legislative Council and on the judiciary and the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committees. The latter is an assignment usually reserved for lawmakers in safe seats.

Sen. Angela Williams of Denver, who chairs the black caucus, declined to comment on the matter Tuesday.

Melton was involved in an incident during the 2018 session with fellow Democratic Rep. Donald Valdez of La Jara. According to a tweet from Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reporter Charles Ashby, House sergeants had to separate the two outside the office of the Speaker of the House.

“I’m reminded of an old saying that my past will not define my future,” Melton concluded in his statement to Colorado Politics. “Today, I am stronger, more mature and deeply committed to seeking the appropriate counseling to ensure that my emotions never fuel these types of events in the future. As a black man, the odds are stacked against us from the beginning, but as I stand today, I want to remind young men of color that violence or aggression against women is never acceptable. As a legislator, I now have an obligation to serve not only young people of color as a role model but to be an advocate for women who witness or are victims of violent assault or aggression. I look forward to putting my head down and working on these issues with colleagues in the legislature in January.”

The session begins on Jan. 4.