What is it about Sussex Conservatives and Sexual Assault?
First the alleged child rapist Eric Bodenweiser, and now this:
A young woman is suing a veteran Sussex County councilman, claiming he repeatedly sexually assaulted her after encouraging her to become in involved in politics. The lawsuit filed this week in Kent County Superior Court alleges that Republican Councilman Vance C. Phillips forced sex on the woman several times in 2011, beginning a few weeks after she turned 18. The 17-page complaint includes graphic details involving bondage and sex toys during the sex acts that she says happened in Kent and Sussex counties. The complaint also says Phillips threatened the young woman not to tell anyone.
This seems to be connected to the allegations about Vance Phillips in an anonymous letter sent to the General Assembly last year. From the News Journal:
Delaware State Police investigated Phillips last year after members of the General Assembly received an anonymous letter claiming he was involved in a relationship with an underage girl. No criminal charges were filed. Phillips’ attorney, Joe Hurley, said he was told by the attorney general’s office earlier this year that the investigation was complete and that there would be no criminal prosecution.
So what does the 17 page complaint say? I am trying to get my hands on it, but here is the News Journal’s synopsis:
The lawsuit alleges that Phillips first met the girl at a GOP event in Sussex County in March 2010, when she was 16. The complaint said that she later began working with him almost daily, regarded him as a close friend and adviser, and became “completely reliant” on him.
On May 9, 2011, a month after she turned 18, Phillips accosted the young woman in a parking lot of a Georgetown dentist’s office, exposing himself and trying to take her clothes off, according to the complaint. Phillips then told her to follow him to an isolated rural area, where he again tried to have sex with her.
About a week later, the woman alleges, Phillips sent her a text warning her that if she told anyone what had happened, she would never have a career in politics, that he was “a very powerful politician with lots of power over the courts and judges,” and that no one would believe her. Phillips demanded that she meet him in Laurel, locked her in a farm building near his home, and sexually assaulted her, the complaint alleges.
Other attacks followed, with the woman claiming she feared what would happen to her if she did not submit to Phillips’ demands, according to the lawsuit.
Vance Phillips is a very powerful politician with lots of power over courts and judges? That’s news to me. It seems he cannot even win a fist fight with the insane Sheriff Jeff Christopher. Alas, he just seems to be yet another hypocritical conservative man who has issues with sex and women (or boys, as the case may be a la Bodenweiser). I am sure Phillips will now attack the accuser and bring her reputation down to that of his own. Because we all know that if Vance Phillips was an honorable man, 1) he never would have had an affair with an 18 year old in the first place, 2) he never would have assaulted her, and 3) if he did both, and then he was found out, he would resign his office.
My overture to sane R’s seems wildly ill timed
This time I can hear the bus revving up in Vance’s direction.
This brings up the disturbing possibility that these nutjobs are running for office just to help them get laid.
Wonder how blessed Vance feels now that he survived a plane crash.
“This brings up the disturbing possibility that these nutjobs are running for office just to help them get laid.”
If it were just that, we would be counting our blessings.
LOL@ puck. Awesome.
What a scumbag. Hope he goes to jail for a long time.
You do realize this is a civil suit and that criminal charges were never filed, right? No jail time in the foreseeable future.
I’d say Vance is probably not going to make it to the next council meeting, though …
Sussex Watcher, that isn’t exactly accurate. The plaintiff in this case did not file a criminal charge because after the anon letter fiasco the state AG office started investigating and pending a criminal charge of its own. The civil suit came from the plaintiff after the decision was made by the AG to not prosecute at this time.
Josh: You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. Criminal charges are filed by the police and prosecutors after an investigation. An individual cannot file charges on their own. Criminal charges have not been filed in this case, and probably won’t be unless new evidence comes out.
The plaintiff most likely went to police with her complaint. The AG investigated and declined to press charges. If the complaint as described above is accurate, it sounds as if there were no corroborating witnesses. I cannot imagine a Delaware AG pressing charges against a public figure with nothing beyond the victim’s allegations as evidence.
The standard of proof in a criminal trial is beyond a reasonable doubt. The standard in a civil suit is the preponderance of evidence. Which would you rather pursue as the plaintiff in this case?
“The plaintiff most likely went to police with her complaint. The AG investigated and declined to press charges.”
That’s exactly what I was trying to say Geezer. The civil suit came after the decision was made on the criminal case.
On another note, I hope the now-divorced Mr. Phillips has worked on his pick-up approach. A few tips:
Atmosphere is important. A Georgetown dentist-office parking lot might seem impressive compared with a Laurel watermelon farm, but it ain’t Paris. If you want to show her the big town, I hear the police in Ocean City, Md., are very discreet.
Also, slow down on the zipper. Nobody wants to see the meat until the grill is ready.
Vance Phillips may have some “liberal” ideas regarding sexual behavior, but he does have one redeeming feature. He has steadfastly rebuffed the attempts of Sheriff Christopher to set himself up as gauleiter of Sussex County with his own branch of the Sturmableitung (read “posse). Am I just being paranoid or do I smell the whiff of the douche bag party (guess) as they try to oust him and get one of their very own Christopher supporters elected?
Josh: So what was not “exactly accurate” about what I wrote? Color me confused. No charges have been filed, and it appears they won’t be.
Keith: So you’re suggesting the sheriff’s supporters got a young woman to file a lawsuit against a public figure with lots of salacious allegations that her name will now be attached to in the public record in perpetuity? Quite a theory.
…or maybe he’s just a pitiful old man who gets his kicks from taking advantage of barely legal girls…
He also steadfastly insisted on the Lord’s Prayer at the start of council meetings and had to be sued to stop it. Still, the point about him rebuffing Czar Christopher is taken. Using the head with grey matter, he did the right thing.
And of course in doing so he made enemies of so-called patriots. Yet, despite their probable glee, this doesn’t sound like a coordinated campaign. Just chickens coming home to roost.
Of course, one would be wise to be aware of WHO it was that initially recruited CZAR CHRISTOPHER in the first place…..
When Christopher was originally under the IPod banner,……yup
Vance, “call me Dr Frankenstien” Phillips
Talk about chicken coming home to roost…….
Watching different factions of Sussex Republicans fight is like watching the Cowboys play the Redskins. The game might be entertaining, but there’s really no one to root for.
Vance Phillips has been sowing the seeds of conservative revolution in Sussex for over a decade, he jumped on the tea party bandwagon and used the movement to get his far right candidates onto the ballot in 2010 (O’Donnell and Urquhart), and Vance and his tea party cronies accomplished their goals with gay accusations and lies.
This is a case of right on right violence, and it couldn’t have happened to scummier people. Vance and his cronies v. the Sheriff and his posse.
Meanwhile Bill Colley is on WGMD blaming liberals for the lawsuit.
“… (or boys, as the case may be a la Bodenweiser) ” I wouldn’t want to be Delaware Dem when Bodenweiser beats that rap. What’s the evidence against Bodenweiser again? Oh yeah, a two time convicted felon’s word for it. Why does the state keep putting the trial off?
Why in the world hasn’t the complaint been linked to here? Some downstate radio talk show host is reading parts of it on air right now.
Every continuance in the Bodenweiser trial has been requested by, and granted to, the DEFENSE. The state is ready to get with the program and has been for some time now.
OMG- if you want the complaint get up off your lazy ass
Go to the court house
And PAY FOR IT YOURSELF,
Delaware does not have on online access for the actual complaint, just the docket.
No one in here OWES you a link ( which does not exist) and why should they go request a copy, at their expense so your morbid curosity can be satisfied.
Go get it your own self
“Beating the rap” and being innocent are two different things, onan.
LMAO Geezers comment. Might be the funniest thing I’ve ever read online