A woman who was assaulted as a teenager by a police officer under the supervision of a current Republican Massachusetts House candidate is speaking out.
”He had to hear me screaming and crying. Instead of helping me, Jeff Perry denied anything happened,” said Lisa Allen, in a statement to the Boston Globe.
Perry is the GOP hopeful in Massachusetts’ 10th Congressional District. Almost 20 years ago, an officer under his command named Scott Flanagan confessed to and was convicted of assaulting Allen and another girl. Perry initially denied that any assault occurred, but thereafter quickly disappeared from the force.
“Perry did not care about protecting teenaged girls in Wareham from police officer Flanagan,” Allen said. ”Jeff Perry cared only about protecting police officer Flanagan.”
”I cannot stand by silently any longer while what happened to me is discussed in the press,” Allen added. ”It upsets me that Jeff Perry can run for Congress after what he did to me when I was 14 years old.”
Perry demurred when the Globe asked for comment, saying only that he sympathized with Allen for her suffering.
”What happened to Lisa Allen was wrong and should never happen to anyone,” Perry said in a statement. ”Scott Flanagan’s actions were despicable and a betrayal of the oath he took as a police officer. My heart goes out to Ms. Allen for what she was put through by Scott Flanagan that night.”
The incident has become a major campaign issue, and the source of one of the most brutal ads of the 2010 cycle.
Allen’s father is quoted in the ad, urging Perry to skip town. Perry’s running against Democrat Bill Keating to fill a seat being vacated by Rep. Bill Delahunt.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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