PHILADELPHIA — State Rep. Kevin Boyle had not yet turned himself in to Philadelphia police as of Wednesday evening, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges related to violating a protection from abuse order.

As Boyle eluded arrest, his older brother, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, said the reemergence of a mental health condition led to his brother’s charges and has been “a nightmare for me and our family.” His warrant and absence from the Capitol in Harrisburg also caused hours of delay and partisan disagreement on the Pennsylvania House floor.

And the legal case against Boyle comes days before Tuesday’s primary election, in which state Democratic leaders are backing challenger Sean Dougherty over the seven-term incumbent.

“Kevin’s family, close friends, and several colleagues have done everything possible to get him to enter into treatment, but we have been frustrated by a system that gives little power to the loved ones of an adult with a serious mental health condition,” Brendan Boyle said in his first statement about his younger brother since a public outburst in February led to Kevin Boyle losing Capitol security privileges.

Kevin Boyle faces a charge of violation of a PFA by communication, police said. Additional information was not available Wednesday, nor was it clear where he was or whether he would turn himself in.

Adding to the confusion about his whereabouts, Dustin Slaughter, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, incorrectly said Wednesday morning that Kevin Boyle was in custody. He later said Kevin Boyle had not surrendered to police.

The 44-year-old Democrat, who represents parts of Northeast Philadelphia, has been open about his struggles with his mental health in recent years. In 2021, he was arrested for harassment and violating a protection from abuse order filed by his then-wife, which was later expunged. His brother said in his statement that he “made a full recovery” with treatment and proper medication. Kevin Boyle said in a 2022 letter to constituents that he was having a psychotic episode at the time of his arrest and that his life was saved after subsequent treatment at a mental health facility.

“For the following two years he was completely healthy and exhibited no symptoms whatsoever,” Brendan Boyle said of his brother. “He was thriving at work, won reelection overwhelmingly, and rose to become the chairman of an important state legislative committee. We genuinely believed his mental health issue was in the past.”

But Kevin Boyle’s symptoms resumed several months ago, his brother said, and in recent weeks his mental health deteriorated further as he continued to resist treatment.

“It’s been painful to watch an intelligent, accomplished person with a big heart decline in such a precipitous way,” Brendan Boyle added.

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