Sherwood (R – Pa) Sued for Assault

The suit by Cynthia M. Ore, 29, of Rockville, Md., alleges the 64-year-old Republican from Tunkhannock Township repeatedly struck her in the face, neck, chest and back, “violently yanking” her hair and repeatedly tried to choke or strangle her. Afterward he would tell her he would never beat her again, then beg her not to leave him, according to the suit filed in Superior Court in the District of Columbia

When a former political opponent first circulated word that police had responded to a call to the apartment of U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood in Washington, D.C., from a woman claiming he had tried to strangle her, The Scranton Times and The Tribune declined to publish a story.

Managing Editor Lawrence K. Beaupre later wrote that over the seven months since the incident had occurred, the woman and police had not filed criminal charges, and the woman did not file civil charges. The woman’s story also was discounted by police, who said she did not appear to be of sound mind.

Mr. Beaupre noted that although the circumstances were tawdry, the newspaper believed that, in the absence of criminal or civil charges, this was a private matter that had not yet been connected to Mr. Sherwood’s public responsibilities.

Mr. Beaupre noted that if the incident were to enter the public realm through criminal or civil charges, or became an issue in a political campaign, the newspaper would report the story in full.