State rep identifies herself in groping allegations against Indiana attorney general

A Democratic state lawmaker in Indiana wrote in an op-ed Friday that she had been a victim of sexual battery allegedly perpetrated by state Attorney General Curtis Hill (R).

Mara Candelaria Reardon wrote in the Times of Northwest Indiana that Hill groped her at a party in March. Candelaria Reardon op-ed comes a day after three of Indiana’s top GOP lawmakers called on Hill to resign over other allegations of groping at the same party, which was organized to mark the end of the state’s legislative session.

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“As we were exchanging pleasantries, Curtis Hill leaned toward me as if he could not hear me and placed his hand on my back and slid his hand down to my buttocks and grabbed it,” Candelaria Reardon wrote in the newspaper. “I said ‘back off,’ and walked away, as the staffer with me stood shocked.”

“As a strong, independent woman, I planned to address the issue personally with Hill,” she added. “To me, he was not the attorney general, or a married man, or a religious man, or a Republican. He was the man who put his hand on my skin and my buttocks, and I felt I needed to address it face to face.”

Candelaria Reardon wrote that she eventually reported the incident to Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R), who along with Democratic leaders launched an investigation into Hill’s behavior.

There is no legal mechanism for Hill to be removed from office, according to Reardon. Gov. Eric Holcomb (R), Senate Leader David Long (R) and Bosma have all called for Hill to resign.

“We do not believe that Curtis Hill, as chief law enforcement officer of the state of Indiana, can continue to perform his duties, nor should he, and we call for his immediate resignation,” the three GOP leaders said in a joint statement. “Because we cannot terminate his employment, we ask instead for him to own up to his actions, apologize publicly to the victims, and tender his resignation immediately.”

Hill has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, and he pledged to remain in office, according to a statement to The Indianapolis Star on Tuesday.