President-Elect of Nat'l Young Republicans Accused of Rape
Bo Raxo
http://www.news-tribune.net/local/local_story_219210228.html
UPDATE: Murphy resigns political posts; cooperating with police in
apparent criminal investigation
Party chair says in letter resignation was for business reasons
By LARRY THOMAS
Larry....@newsandtribune.com
The chairman of the Clark County Republican Party - who last month was
elected president of the Young Republican National Federation - has
resigned both posts, apparently in the wake of a criminal
investigation.
On Tuesday afternoon, Glenn Murphy Jr. e-mailed media outlets a letter
announcing his resignation from both positions, citing an unexpected
business opportunity that would prohibit him from holding a partisan
political office.
However, the Clark County Sheriff's Department on Friday began
investigating Murphy for alleged criminal deviate conduct -
potentially a class B felony - after speaking with a 22-year-old man
who claimed that on July 31, Murphy performed an unwanted sex act on
him while the man slept in a relative's Jeffersonville home.
Murphy, a 33-year-old Utica resident, has not been arrested nor has he
been charged with a crime. A copy of the police report has been posted
on an politically focused Internet site and another was provided to a
reporter with The Evening News and The Tribune on Tuesday evening.
Larry Wilder, Murphy's attorney, said Murphy is cooperating with
police and Prosecutor Steve Stewart. Wilder said Murphy contends the
sex act was consensual.
A reporter was unable to reach Stewart on Tuesday evening.
In 1998, a 21-year-old male filed a similar report with Clarksville
police claiming Murphy attempted to perform a sex act on him while he
was sleeping. Charges were never filed in that case.
In the letter he e-mailed to a reporter on Tuesday, Murphy says that
on Friday he learned that he had been awarded a contract he had bid on
more than a year ago, and that one of the stipulations of the deal is
that Murphy could not hold a partisan political office.
In the letter, Murphy wrote: "My company (Utica-based December Media)
bid on a very large project more than a year ago. It was a job that I
thought I would never get in a million years - one that could
transform my company and do in one year what I could ordinarily do in
five. Well, I got the job Friday
"... It was perfect timing for the county chairmanship that I was
transitioning out of anyway, but terrible timing for my volunteer
Young Republican position that I had just worked so hard to achieve.
"My family sat down with me Saturday evening to look at things from
every angle. We determined that if I didn't take the job, there could
potentially never be that type of opportunity again and I would be
shorting the security of my future and the future of my family. I
prayed with my family, and we determined that I have to take this
opportunity for my long-term security."
Murphy spoke with a reporter via telephone only briefly after sending
the e-mail. The conversation occurred before The Evening News and The
Tribune obtained copies of the police reports from last week and 1998.
During the conversation, Murphy seemed optimistic about the business
opportunity and said he believes his resignation will have little
negative impact on local Republicans, because he has been planning on
leaving the county post since being elected president of the Young
Republican National Federation last month.
Clark County Republican Vice Chairwoman Connie Sellers will serve as
the party's interim chair until a caucus takes place in about two
weeks, Murphy's letter indicates. Jessica Colon, of Texas, will
replace Murphy with the National Young Republican Federation. Murphy
was elected to the national post last month during a convention in
Miami.
Sellers said Tuesday she is still working with state GOP leaders to
coordinate the caucus and that no time, date or place have been set.
Murphy has served as a local GOP officer for 10 years, including seven
as chairman.
[...]
According to a pair of police reports, the alleged victim and his
sister claim Murphy contacted them several times after the alleged
incident occurred to inquire as to whether they were going to file a
report with police.