Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Says Groping Allegations Are False

By BRIAN SLODYSKO ,  Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill dug in Monday and rejected calls to resign, saying his name "has been dragged through the gutter" amid allegations that he inappropriately touched a lawmaker and several other women.

The Republican said during a news conference that he stands "falsely and publicly accused of abhorrent behavior." Hill said he learned about the allegations and an internal investigation stemming from the claims shortly before boarding a plane last week.

He said he has been unfairly treated and asked for a fair investigation.

"A week ago today, I had a name. And I want my name back," he said, adding that the allegations were "vicious and false."

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP legislative leaders called on Hill to resign last week after an internal legislative memo outlining the allegations was leaked to the media. Hill said Monday that he respects the governor but wished he would have reached out to him "before rushing to judgment."

Hill declined to take questions, but said he "never dreamed this could happen to me."

The memo alleges that a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers allege Hill drunkenly groped them during a March party. Democratic Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon and Gabrielle McLemore, the Indiana Senate Democrats' communications director, say they were among the victims.

Candelaria Reardon described Hill's behavior as "deviant" when she encountered him in the early morning hours after the legislative session ended for the year. She said he leaned toward her, put his hand on her back, slid it down and grabbed her buttocks.

She said 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."

McLemore said Hill cornered her at the party and asked, "Do you know who I am?" and proceeded to massage her back, while she worried what others who noticed Hill's unwanted advances would think.

Hill, a staunch social conservative who is married, had been viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party since his election in 2016. The former Elkhart County prosecutor is also an Elvis impersonator who has relished punditry appearances on Fox News.

If Hill doesn't resign, majority Republicans could take action to remove him.

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Associated Press reporter Rick Callahan contributed to this report from Indianapolis.