A county commissioner in Indiana pleaded guilty to sexual assault in Nevada just days after he was elected to a new position.
According to the Greenfield Daily Reporter, Hancock County Commissioner John Jessup was accused of sexual assault in Las Vegas back in January. Despite the allegations, he remained in office as a commissioner and stayed on the ballot for this November’s election for Hancock County Council (which differs from the Hancock County Commission) while on house arrest in Las Vegas. He was one of three winners, garnering some 15,000 votes.
On Wednesday, Jessup pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault, a Class B felony, records show.
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The county commish is slated to be sentenced in April. As convicted felons cannot serve in office in Indiana, Jessup will have to resign.
“It’s been my greatest honor serving the people of Hancock County and I’m deeply, deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry for the shame that I brought to the county,” Jessup told the Daily Reporter.
Prosecutors are reportedly requesting that Jessup serve between eight and 20 years in prison, while his attorneys are asking for probation. According to the Daily Reporter which obtained a probable cause arrest affidavit, the charge stemmed from a drunken night in Vegas on Jan. 25 in which he flew with a woman to Sin City and uttered the famous slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” several times throughout the night.
Multiple witnesses reportedly told detectives that Jessup kept “feeding” the woman Long Island iced teas. The woman was reportedly so intoxicated that she needed a wheelchair to get to her room after arriving back at a hotel with Jessup. She reportedly remembered getting into the shower with her clothes on. The next thing she knew she was waking up in bed naked with Jessup, who was sexually assaulting her, the affidavit said. The woman reported the alleged assault a few days later and police arrested Jessup in June. In an interview with detectives, Jessup acknowledged inappropriate conduct and that he “f—– up” but denied the incident rose to sexual assault.
A Republican county official said in a statement to Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN that Jessup promised to resign.
“Mr. Jessup decided to keep his name on the ballot after charges were filed. He later verbally and via text committed to resigning if elected. Until the legal process concludes or he resigns, the party has no further role. Pursuant to Indiana Code 5-8-1-38, should Mr. Jessup be convicted of a felony offense, he is ineligible to hold an office in Indiana. If Mr. Jessup resigns or a felony conviction occurs, the party would then need to call a caucus to fill his position.”
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