PHOENIX — An Arizona congressional candidate says she was knocked unconscious and sexually assaulted by two men in August while repairing campaign signs overnight in Sun City, The Associated Press reported.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia, 52, a Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh in the 8th Congressional District, told investigators the men raped her, according to police reports cited by the AP. She reported bruises on her arms from being held down, a bump on her head and other injuries.
“I knew that I had been knocked out,” she told the AP. The Phoenix New Times first reported the Aug. 14 attack.
Greene-Placentia said she cannot recall many details, including the exact location or what the men looked like, though she said one wore black boots. She told investigators one man used an expletive to describe her and she believes he referenced her political party. She said she does not know whether the attack was politically motivated: “I wish I knew.”
She said she decided to speak publicly after realizing she was promising to advocate for voters but not for herself. “My takeaway is that I have a lot more empathy and understanding of why so many women don’t come forward,” she said. “And I’m hoping that I can encourage them.”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on its investigation.
Hamadeh called on authorities to investigate thoroughly, including finding all possible camera footage, “in order to prosecute the crime to the fullest extent of the law.” He added, “No American should become a victim of a crime in their own community.”
Greene-Placentia, a former long-haul trucker who later ran a small transportation company, said she often worked on signs overnight because it was cooler and there was less traffic.
Sources: KTAR News/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Education Department (TA63) / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
