The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has launched a criminal investigation into Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) over allegations that he assaulted a 27-year-old woman.
The investigation centers on an alleged incident that began at a luxury apartment building on February 19, according to NBC Washington.
Mills’ office told NBC News: “This week, law enforcement was asked to resolve a private matter at Congressman Mills’ residence. Congressman Mills vehemently denies any wrongdoing whatsoever, and is confident any investigation will clear this matter quickly.”
The I-Team also reached out Thursday afternoon to the alleged victim, who we’re not naming, but who is not the congressman’s wife. In text messages she said: “Yesterday, I contacted law enforcement to address a personal matter… Although the argument was emotionally charged, there was no physical abuse involved.”
She said bruises were from medical conditions and activities from a recent overseas trip.
However, there appears to be more to the story. Police filed at least three copies of their report with differing details.
The first police report, provided to News4 by a source and confirmed by a second source familiar with the investigation, said: “(Her significant other for over a year) grabbed her, shoved her, and pushed her out of the door.” The report says she showed the officer “bruises on her arm which appeared fresh.”
The first report goes on to note that during a phone call between the significant other and alleged victim, she “let officers hear Subject 1 [now identified by MPD as Mills] instruct her to lie about the origin of her bruises … Eventually, Subject 1 made contact with police and admitted that the situation escalated from verbal to physical, but it was severe enough to create bruising.”
When police arrived, the woman was in the lobby of the Salamander hotel next door. The report says an officer was “able to immediately identify [the alleged victim] out of all other patrons in the lobby by her demeanor: physically shaking and scared.”
According to the report, the responding police officer told the subject he would be placed under arrest. But then the woman approached police and recanted the details, including where the bruises came from. News4 reached out to the responding officer but has not heard back.
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The second report indicated that officers responded to a “family disturbance.” This report concluded there was no probable cause to warrant arresting the lawmaker, NBC Washington explained.
A third report filed on Thursday suggested that law enforcement is investigating the alleged assault.
MPD has also launched an internal investigation into its handling of the investigation, according to Politico. The 27-year-old woman, who is not Mills’ wife, called the authorities to report an assault “involving the use of force with hands or feet.”
Mills, a former Army combat veteran, has denied any wrongdoing. His spokesperson acknowledged that law enforcement “was asked to resolve a private matter at Congressman Mills’ residence” and that the lawmaker “vehemently denies any wrongdoing whatsoever, and is confident any investigation will clear this matter quickly,” Fox News reported.
The woman involved in the incident said in a statement that “several factors” motivated her to call the police on that day. She said she was “severely jet-lagged and sleep-deprived” after returning from a 14-hour flight, according to The New York Times. She also stated that she had consumed alcohol during her vacation, “which contributed to my emotional state.”
She recounted the incident, saying that when police arrived, “they noticed some bruising and marks on my arms, which I explained were the result of medical conditions like eczema and activities from my recent trip to Dubai.” She further explained that “While the personal matter in question was emotionally charged, there was no physical altercation.”
The woman has not clarified the nature of her relationship with Mills. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday explained that the internal investigation was about “making sure that all of our members did what they were supposed to do, according to M.P.D. policy.”
Rep. Mills’ office could not be reached for comment.
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