Police reopen groping probe against Gore
Source: Agencies |
July 2, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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FORMER Vice President Al Gore welcomes a decision by police in Portland, Oregon, to reopen an investigation into a massage therapist's allegations that he groped her at a hotel four years ago, according to a spokeswoman for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Kalee Kreider said that Gore "unequivocally and emphatically" denied making unwanted sexual advances. She added that "further investigation into this matter will only benefit Mr Gore."
Portland police did not say why they were reopening the investigation in their brief statement on Wednesday.
"It's now an open investigation and I can't comment," police spokeswoman Mary Wheat said.
Police earlier said they considered the case closed for lack of evidence. They said last week the woman's lawyer came to them with the charges in 2006 but the woman canceled appointments with detectives. The case reopened in January 2009, when detectives interviewed her but determined there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations.
The woman, who was not identified, alleges Gore made unwanted sexual advances during a massage appointment on October 24, 2006, at the Hotel Lucia, where Gore was reportedly registered as "Mr Stone." Gore was in Portland, Oregon, to deliver a speech on climate change.
The story first broke when the National Enquirer reported the allegations a week ago.
Gore and wife Tipper announced last month that they were separating.
According to transcripts of the 2009 interview with police, the masseuse described the allegations at length. She said Gore groped, kissed and pinned her down on a bed. She told Gore he was acting like a "crazed sex poodle."
The woman said she felt there would be consequences if she didn't cooperate.
"I feared that if I ran for the door to get out, I could or would be violently accosted by some security detail. I felt certain that any, even the smallest complaint from him to the hotel, could also destroy my work reputation."
While trying to pack up, she said Gore "wrapped me in an inescapable embrace," looked her in the eyes and touched her back, buttocks and breasts.
Kalee Kreider said that Gore "unequivocally and emphatically" denied making unwanted sexual advances. She added that "further investigation into this matter will only benefit Mr Gore."
Portland police did not say why they were reopening the investigation in their brief statement on Wednesday.
"It's now an open investigation and I can't comment," police spokeswoman Mary Wheat said.
Police earlier said they considered the case closed for lack of evidence. They said last week the woman's lawyer came to them with the charges in 2006 but the woman canceled appointments with detectives. The case reopened in January 2009, when detectives interviewed her but determined there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations.
The woman, who was not identified, alleges Gore made unwanted sexual advances during a massage appointment on October 24, 2006, at the Hotel Lucia, where Gore was reportedly registered as "Mr Stone." Gore was in Portland, Oregon, to deliver a speech on climate change.
The story first broke when the National Enquirer reported the allegations a week ago.
Gore and wife Tipper announced last month that they were separating.
According to transcripts of the 2009 interview with police, the masseuse described the allegations at length. She said Gore groped, kissed and pinned her down on a bed. She told Gore he was acting like a "crazed sex poodle."
The woman said she felt there would be consequences if she didn't cooperate.
"I feared that if I ran for the door to get out, I could or would be violently accosted by some security detail. I felt certain that any, even the smallest complaint from him to the hotel, could also destroy my work reputation."
While trying to pack up, she said Gore "wrapped me in an inescapable embrace," looked her in the eyes and touched her back, buttocks and breasts.
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