California
Attorney: Woman says Dodgers’ Trevor Bauer assaulted her
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police are investigating an allegation of assault against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer and an attorney for the accuser says the woman has obtained a protection order.
Major League Baseball also is looking into the allegation.
“The Dodgers were made aware of the allegations against Trevor Bauer late this afternoon and immediately contacted MLB, which will be handling this matter,” the team said in a statement during its game Tuesday night against San Francisco.
“The Dodgers take any allegations of this nature very seriously, but will have no further comment at this time,” the club said.
The protection order was obtained under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act and was the result of an “assault that took place at the hands of Mr. Bauer” where the woman “suffered severe physical and emotional pain,” attorney Marc Garelick said.
Pasadena police spokesman Lt. Bill Grisafe confirmed that the department is looking into accusations of an assault involving Bauer, but provided no additional details.
TMZ, which first reported the story, said Bauer lives in Pasadena.
Jon Fetterolf, Bauer’s co-agent, disputed the allegations that Bauer committed any nonconsensual violence. He said Bauer met the woman in April, and the two had “a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated” by the woman.
“Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications,” Fetterolf said. “Any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Fetterolf said the woman asked Bauer repeatedly for “rough” sexual encounters, demanding to be “choked out” and slapped in the face.
Fetterolf claimed Bauer and the woman remained friendly in text messages after their encounters. The attorney said Bauer became concerned and confused after the woman told him she had sought medical care for a concussion days after their second and final encounter.
Bauer and the woman haven’t corresponded for over a month and haven’t seen each other in six weeks, Fetterolf said.
“Our goal is to keep Mr. Bauer from contacting our client in any way possible,” Garelick said.
The outspoken Bauer joined his hometown Dodgers earlier this year with a $102 million, three-year contract after winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds last season. He is 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA for his new team after beating the Giants on Monday night.
South Carolina
Former lawmaker suspended from Pentagon job
MARION, S.C. (AP) — A former South Carolina state lawmaker and failed congressional candidate has been placed on leave from her Pentagon job during a probe into allegations of an unauthorized release of classified information, according to her attorney.
Since early 2019, Katie Arrington has been working as chief information officer for the Acquisition and Sustainment Office at the Defense Department, overseeing a cybersecurity initiative.
On May 11, she was informed that “her security clearance for access to classified information is being suspended” as “a result of a reported Unauthorized Disclosure of Classified Information and subsequent removal of access by the National Security Agency,” according to a memo first reported by Bloomberg News and confirmed Tuesday to The Associated Press by Mark Zaid, Arrington’s attorney.
“If this preliminary decision becomes final, you will not be eligible for access to classified information” or “assignments to duties that have been designated national security sensitive,” officials with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment wrote in the memo, according to Bloomberg.
On Tuesday, Zaid said the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency — which conducts background investigations for the federal workforce — “has no active investigation or adjudication actions” regarding Arrington. He accused security officials of “withholding information,” now that six weeks have passed since her suspension.
“The conduct of NSA is denying Ms. Arrington her due process and is harming the national security of the United States,” Zaid said.
Any specific allegations against Arrington have not been disclosed, and she remains on paid leave, according to Zaid.
Arrington went to work at the Pentagon after a brief political career in South Carolina. A Republican, she was elected to South Carolina’s state House in 2016. Two years later, she won a GOP primary over U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, who had returned to his congressional seat after serving two terms as governor.
It was Sanford’s first-ever loss, with Arrington calling her opponent a “Never Trumper” for his criticism of then-President Donald Trump.
During that campaign, Arrington referred to her cyber security and defense industry credentials as evidence of her federal government experience.
But Arrington narrowly lost the general election to newcomer Joe Cunningham, a Democrat who flipped the district from red to blue for the first time in decades. At the time, she blamed Sanford for her eventual loss and vowed to seek the seat in the future.
Arrington did not return a text message seeking comment Tuesday night, and her attorney said she would not be responding to inquiries on the matter.
Illinois
Former mayor sentenced in corruption case
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — A former southern Illinois mayor has been sentenced to two years of probation for lying to federal investigators about referral commissions he received on city contracts.
Former Columbia Mayor Kevin Hutchinson also was sentenced Monday to 40 hours of community service and fined $500 after pleading guilty in March. He resigned as mayor of the Monroe County town after being indicted in February.
Hutchinson had been charged with one felony count of making a false statement to the federal Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force.
The indictment described Hutchinson as a licensed insurance agent who owned a closely held Illinois corporation called BMC Associates, Inc. It said the Columbia city government provides health-insurance coverage for employees and contracts for property/casualty loss insurance.
Hutchinson and his company received referral commissions from the insurance contracts that the city placed with two other companies, the indictment said. The city council and city manager were unaware of the commissions.
