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

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