Indiana attorney general won’t be charged in alleged groping
INDIANAPOLIS (AP/WISH) — Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill will not be criminally charged in the alleged drunken groping of a lawmaker and three legislative staffers at a party to mark the end of the legislative session earlier this year, a special prosecutor announced Tuesday.
A confidential legislative memo leaked to the media alleges Hill groped the four women at an Indianapolis bar during a March 15 party to mark the end of the legislative session. Three of the women later went public , including Democratic Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, who described Hill’s behavior as deviant when she encountered him in the early morning hours.
She said Hill leaned toward her, put his hand on her back, slid it down and grabbed her buttocks. The Munster lawmaker says she told Hill to back off, but he approached again later in the night, put his hand on her back and said: “That skin. That back.”
Hill, who was elected to a four-year term in 2016, has denied the allegations and rejected calls to resign from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislative leaders.
Following Tuesday morning’s announcement, Hill’s lawyers released the following statement:
The Special Prosecutor’s investigation exonerates and absolves Mr. Curtis Hill of any factual and legal criminal behavior. Mr. Hill appreciates the diligence and thoroughness taken by Special Prosecutor Daniel J. Sigler in his investigation of his conduct on March 15, 2018, at Sine Die Party held at A.J.’s Lounge in Indianapolis, Indiana. We never doubted that Mr. hill would be cleared of any alleged crimes. Special Prosecutor Sigler was charged with leading the investigation of the allegations and in doing so he worked closely with the Indiana Inspector General’s Office as well as the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Mr. Hill will continue to serve the people of Indiana in the capacity for which he was elected as the Indiana Attorney General.
James H. Voyes and Jennifer M. Lukemeyer
Attorneys for Curtis Hill
A Marion County judge appointed Sigler in July to review the state inspector generals findings and determine whether the Republican officeholder should face criminal charges.
Indiana’s constitution allows for a public official to be removed from office, for crime, incapacity or negligence either by impeachment by the House of Representatives, to be tried by the Senate, or by a joint resolution of the General Assembly with two thirds voting in favor.
But there’s debate whether that applies to Hill, because the attorney general unlike the state auditor, treasurer and secretary is not specifically listed as a state officer in the constitution.
Hill could still be impeached for any misdemeanor in office under a different Indiana law. But that would likely require criminal charges or a conviction a higher threshold than the incapacity or negligence standard in the constitution.
Legal observers have suggested that Hill could be removed from office if he is found to have violated the state courts code of professional conduct.
Statements
Senate President Pro Tem David Longm, R-Fort Wayne:
“I appreciate the thorough work performed by the Inspector General and the Special Prosecutor, and I respect their conclusions. I believed the women who came forward with reports of misconduct were telling the truth in May, and I believe them now. The Attorney General’s behavior that night toward the women involved is unacceptable.
“Hoosiers expect better from the people they elect to represent them in state government, especially when the individual involved is the chief law enforcement officer for the state of Indiana. I called for the Attorney General to step down in July, and I continue to believe that is the right thing for him to do. However, it appears that he has no intention to do so, and that is his decision alone to make at this time. The people of Indiana will have the final say in this matter.”
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb:
“I said I believed the women who stepped forward to report sexual harassment by the Indiana Attorney General. The special prosecutor agreed and said, ‘I have accepted the victim statements as true.’ The findings show a disregard of the executive branch zero tolerance harassment policy. My position has not changed.”
Senate Minority Caucus Chair Karen Tallian, D-Portage:
“I am frankly disappointed in the results of the Special Prosecutor’s report on the allegations of sexual harassment against Attorney General Hill. These women came forward, at pain to themselves, in the struggle for progress and equality. It is heartening to know the Special Prosecutor found them to be credible and believable witnesses. However, they deserve more than being believed – they deserve action.
“It is disappointing the jurisdiction of the special prosecutor does not extend to determining if an elected official acted unethically. Special Prosecutor Sigler acknowledged the accounts of harassment by the women are credible and confirmed in his official report that Mr. Hill touched the four victims and had consumed significant amounts of alcohol.
“As the chief law enforcement officer for the State of Indiana, the Attorney General’s conduct should be above reproach. Instead, we have the hypocrisy of a person expounding the virtue of law enforcement, the morality of family values, the wickedness of marijuana and the evil of women’s choice – all the while drunkenly groping young women at a bar late into the night.
“This is not the person we want to see as the face of Indiana law enforcement.”
Indiana House Democratic Leader Terry Goodin from Austin:
“I would encourage everyone to read the reports issued by the Inspector General and the special prosecutor regarding the attorney general’s behavior — particularly the conclusions that are drawn by the Inspector General.
“Today’s announcement does not change my belief that AG Hill should resign. It cements it.”