Portland police will investigate accusations that Al Gore groped woman (Investigation Re-Opened)

The Oregonian ^ | June 30, 2010 | Maxine Bernstein

[Arec Barrwin]

Portland police will investigate accusations that Al Gore groped woman

Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 4:55 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 5:03 PM

The Oregonian

A Portland massage therapist accused former Vice President Al Gore of "unwanted sexual contact" at a hotel during an October 2006 visit, but no charges were filed due to lack of evidence, law officials said last week. Today, Portland police officials say they will reopen the investigation.

Portland police announced today that it will re-open and investigate a Portland massage therapist’s allegations that former Vice President Al Gore sexually assaulted her at a downtown hotel in October 2006.

The announcement comes as the therapist went public for the first time, telling the National Enquirer that she demanded a full police investigation of her complaint.

Molly Hagerty is photographed in the latest edition of the National Enquirer, holding the black pants she wore that night. She’s quoted saying she paid for a DNA analysis of a stain on the pants. The paper also mentioned videotape footage from the Hotel Lucia, where the encounter occurred, and named a computer consultant who told the tabloid that Hagerty called her at about 4 a.m. Oct. 24, 2006, and told her immediately about details of the attack.

Portland police said last week they considered the case closed unless new evidence surfaced. Police did not explain their decision today.

"Consistent with our policy regarding open investigations, the Police Bureau will not be commenting on any additional specifics regarding this case at this time,'' Portland Det. Mary Wheat, bureau spokeswoman, said in a news release.

A Gore family spokeswoman released a statement disputing Hagerty’s account.

"The Gores cannot comment on every defamatory, misleading, and inaccurate story generated by tabloids," said the response issued by spokeswoman Kalee Kreider. "Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He stands by that denial."

More on Gore

» More stories about the accusations against Al Gore

» Read the Portland police reports

» Hear the police interview with the massage therapist Hagerty first filed a complaint through her attorney two months after the 2006 encounter, but then refused to meet with detectives on three occasions. Then in January 2009, she presented a detailed statement to Portland sexual assault investigators.

She told investigators that Gore groped her, kissed her and made unwanted sexual advances during a late-night massage session in a suite at the upscale Hotel Lucia. She said she told two friends and kept the clothes she wore that night, including her black pants with stains on them. But Portland police didn’t contact any of the woman’s friends, obtain the potential evidence or interview anyone at the hotel, records show.

"The case was not investigated any further because detectives concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations," the Portland Police Bureau said in a prepared statement last week.

The Oregonian generally does not name people who report sexual assaults, but is naming Hagerty because she has made her allegations public.

Today, the district attorney’s office said it had no further comment, but stands by its statement issued last week. In that, Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk said: "If the complainant and the Portland Police Bureau wish to pursue the possibility of a criminal prosecution, additional investigation by the Bureau will be necessary and will be discussed with the Portland Police Bureau."

-- Maxine Bernstein

© 2010 OregonLive.com. All rights reserved.

[qwertypie]

The Portland Police blew her off too quickly in 2009. They are scrambling to make up for what looks like callousness, given the evidence and the witness(es).

[SunkenCiv]

at a hotel during an October 2006 visit

They've done an outstanding job so far.

[dead]

Proving sexual assault will definitely be difficult, but those stains could at least prove he's, at minimum, a pig.

A married pig.

[Rebelbase]

Maybe. But the mud fight getting there will be highly entertaining.

[Candor7]

but I don’t see proof beyond a reasonable doubt at this point.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

That burden doesn't matter much. Molly's lawyer already announced that she will initiate a civil suit against Big Al and his aductor muscles.

Will the Nobel Committee demand their money back?

Apparently Molly has problems doing professional massage anymore because of the incident.

Will Molly now vote conservative instead of liberal now? Rush Limbaugh was all over this story, funny as all get out.

[ETL]

excerpt:

"...the woman tells how Gore greeted her at the door of his room at the Hotel Lucia for the 11 p.m. appointment with a hug that "went on a bit long," then quipped "call me Al." Hotel staff had told the licensed therapist when booking her that the client was Al Gore, but that he was going under the name "Mr Stone."

Gore allegedly asked her to focus on his abdominal area and adductors -- the inner thigh muscles -- as well as his back and other areas.

While his lower body was covered with a sheet, she said, Gore "became vocal" with "muffled moans" and asked her to go lower, getting angry when she refused.

"It appeared he was demanding sexual favors or sexual behaviors," the woman said.

She then asked Gore to show her where he wanted to be massaged and he "grabbed my hand, shoved it down under the sheet to his ***** **** area, my fingers brushing against his ***** and firmly planted my hand on his pubic crest region and said to me 'There!' in a very sharp, loud, angry-sounding tone."

The woman told police she was caught in "a perfect storm" in a room with someone who was "Teflon-coated in terms of his credibility and celebrity status"..."

Police specifically responded to claims by the woman -- who said she remained clothed through the alleged encounter -- that she had noticed her black slacks had "stains" on them.

Police said they did not collect her attire because they believed it would not provide evidence.

“At this point, the Police Bureau does not consider this an ongoing investigation unless new evidence is received in this case,” Wednesday's police statement said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/24/massage-therapist-claims-gore-groped/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Text+-+Politics%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
________________________________________________

[ETL]

Remarkably similar to his one-time boss Bill Clinton. He probably figured if 'Slick Willy' Bill Clinton could get away with it, so could he.

ALL THE EX-PRESIDENT'S SCANDALS
Nurse backs up Clinton rape charge
Attended Broaddrick's wounds after alleged assault in Arkansas

June 26, 2003

[a few excerpts from article...]

Kelsey recalls Broaddrick saying the meeting with Clinton began with small talk, and "she was a little surprised he was by himself."

"She said he was showing her locations outside the window there in Little Rock, and then, all of a sudden, he just kind of grabbed her and started kissing her," remembers Kelsey.

"He overtook her and pushed her to the bed, and from that point on it was just a rape."

Kelsey says Broaddrick explained how her lip became swollen: "He bit her lip to try to keep her from struggling with him."

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=19483

[Psalm 144]

That is absolutely true.

This damages him terribly.

:-)

CRAZED SEX POODLE will be in everyone’s mind from now on whenever they see or hear him. I really look forward to Paul Shanklin’s take on this. I want to hear a good impressionist do a robotic bellow of:

“RRRRRRRRRRReee LEASE! my . . . SECOND .. CHAK raaaaAAAGGHH!!!!”

[nascarnation]

[vox_freedom]

Maybe Al will call B J Clinton as a character witness.

[ETL]

This damages him terribly. CRAZED SEX POODLE will be in everyone’s mind from now on whenever they see or hear him.

Yeah, like Monica's "Big Creep" reference to Bill Clinton? No one remembers it.

[I_Like_Spam]

We can expect to learn more about Ms. Hagerty in the weeks and months ahead as the media does their level best to destroy her.

We’ll know where the young lady went to school, what her grades were, every misdemeanor she even committed and a copy of her birth certificate before this is over. Her entire family and life history will be open to the scrunity of the “journalists” out there.

[School of Rational Thought]

Being on a board results in a nominal fee. Gore Partner - Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is making tens of million out of Kleiner.

[ETL]

If you can, you might want to attach that same caption to the Gore photo. I would if I knew how. Then it could be posted on future algore “sex poodle” threads. It would be like algore wishing the story would go away.

[Sal]

I wouldn’t count on that if reports I’ve heard about their current investments being 60% in “green” technology are true. If they need the hoaxter intact to profit from the hoax...

[SFConservative]

Tree Sap?

LOL !!!

[nascarnation]

great idea but beyond my skills

is there a Photoshopper in the house?

[NativeNewYorker]

The Portland newspapers had this and sat on it. Are they accessories?

Is it too f-ing obvious the Gores' sudden divorce and real estate shenanigans were done to shield assets from legal action?

[rfp1234]

He’s surrounded by the Green Police.

[rolling_stone]

Is it too f-ing obvious the Gores’ sudden divorce and real estate shenanigans were done to shield assets from legal action?

NO the value of a lawsuit is not that much for Gore and since it happened while they were married I doubt assets could be exempt. How much would you award?