Connecticut Republican politician, Christopher von Keyserling, was arrested and charged with sexual assault after he was caught on a security camera pinching the genitals of woman with whom he got into a political disagreement.
Von Keyserling, the 71-year-old chair of the Representative Town Meeting in Greenwich, encountered the unnamed woman in the hallway of an unnamed town facility on Dec. 8, 2016 according to the Westport Weston.
She told him it was “a new world” politically, to which he allegedly replied, “I love this new world, I no longer have to be politically correct,” according to the warrant.
She told him that if he was “proud of that I can’t help you,” after which he called her a lazy, bloodsucking union employee, the warrant said.
He allegedly followed her into her office, saying he wanted to talk to her co-worker. Her co-worker came into the office, refused to talk with him, and left.
The first woman attempted to do the same, at which point von Keyserling “reached in from behind to place his hand between her legs and pinch her in the groin area,” according to the police arrest warrant. She threatened to hit him if he tried to pinch her again, and he replied, “It would be your word against mine and nobody will believe you,” according to the warrant.
Police say that the incident was caught on security camera and that the footage is consistent with the events the woman described.
The woman told police she was initially hesitant to file a criminal complaint because of the risk of retribution and the public attention it might bring, according to authorities. However, she decided to do so when she found out that von Keyserling had allegedly behaved “in a similar way with other employees.”
Von Keyserling’s lawyer told Greenwich Time: “There was a playful gesture, in front of witnesses. It was too trivial to be considered anything of significance. To call it a sexual assault is not based in reality.”
Von Keyserling was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault. He posted $2,500 bond and was released to appear in court on Jan. 25.
