Eleven state delegates representing Montgomery County in the Maryland General Assembly have sent a letter to county police Chief Thomas Manger and State’s Attorney John McCarthy urging an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
The letter, sent Tuesday, states that because Kavanaugh has been accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford, a resident of Montgomery County at the time of the alleged assault in the 1980s, the legislators believe that local authorities would have jurisdiction over an investigation. There is no statute of limitations in Maryland for felony sexual assault cases, although it can vary for misdemeanors.
The delegates who signed the letter, all Democrats, are Kumar Barve, Al Carr, Bonnie Cullison, Ariana Kelly, Marc Korman, David Moon, Pam Queen, Kirill Reznik, Shane Robinson, Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jeff Waldstreicher.
The letter comes one week after state Sen. Cheryl Kagan, a Democrat representing Rockville, asked for an investigation into Kavanaugh’s past by the Maryland State Police. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he would not authorize the request.
Ford has accused Kavanaugh of assaulting her at a party when she was a 15-year-old student at Holton-Arms School and he was a 17-year-old student at Georgetown Preparatory School. Both private schools are in Bethesda.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Ford and Kavanaugh are scheduled to testify about the allegations before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
In recent days, two other women have also come forward with allegations against Kavanaugh, which he has denied.
Montgomery County police have said there are no plans to investigate Kavanaugh. The department released a statement Monday, stating it had not received a request from Ford for an investigation into the matter, but were willing to investigate if asked to do so.
“Typically, in a sexual assault case, the cooperation of the victim or witnesses is necessary. As with any criminal investigation, a determination must be made as to the jurisdiction where the alleged offense occurred and the specific details of the event to establish a potential criminal charge,” the press release stated.
The delegates wrote in the letter that the department should launch an investigation even if someone other than Ford or another of Kavanaugh’s accusers makes the request.
“In the present case, county officials may be with the jurisdiction to pursue such an inquiry and are uniquely positioned to investigate publicly announced allegations of sex assaults that may have occurred within our borders. We believe local law enforcement has the authority to investigate allegations of crimes without need for a formal complaint, and we further believe third parties have standing to bring such complaints,” the delegates wrote.
The letter was sent one day before Julie Swetnick, a Gaithersburg High School graduate, alleged in an affidavit released Wednesday by her attorney Michael Avenatti that she witnessed Kavanaugh drink excessively, attempt to inebriate girls and participate in “gang rapes” at house parties in the 1980s, according to The Washington Post. Swetnick said she was gang-raped in 1982 and that Kavanaugh was present, although she did not say whether he participated in the rape.
In addition to the local authorities, the delegates’ letter was also sent to Avenatti and Debra Katz, the attorney representing Ford.
Swetnick is the third person to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Deborah Ramirez, who attended Yale University with Kavanaugh, accused the judge of exposing himself at a dorm party in the 1983-84 academic year, according to The New Yorker.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
