D.C. police have confirmed that they are currently investigating a reported assault on a 27-year-old woman. The accused is U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican who represents a district northeast of Orlando. The authorities have labeled this case as an ongoing criminal investigation.
The Metropolitan Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into its own handling of the incident, despite the fact that no arrest was made.
According to documents obtained by News4, the reported incident began at a penthouse located in a high-end apartment building in the Southwest area of The Wharf at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Mills’ office told NBC News: “This week, law enforcement was asked to resolve a private matter at Congressman Mills’ residence. Congressman Mills vehemently denies any wrongdoing whatsoever, and is confident any investigation will clear this matter quickly.”
The I-Team also reached out Thursday afternoon to the alleged victim, who we’re not naming, but who is not the congressman’s wife. In text messages she said: “Yesterday, I contacted law enforcement to address a personal matter… Although the argument was emotionally charged, there was no physical abuse involved.”
According to her, the bruises were a result of medical conditions and activities during her recent trip abroad.
However, it is highly probable that the investigation is far from over.
DC police have three police reports on what happened
Multiple copies of the police report have been obtained by News4, which reveal different levels of detail regarding the alleged events that took place inside the apartment and the arrival of the police.
According to a police report obtained by News4 and verified by a second source familiar with the investigation, the initial report stated that “(Her significant other for over a year) grabbed her, shoved her, and pushed her out of the door.” The report further noted that the victim had visible fresh bruises on her arm, which she showed to the officer.
According to the initial report, the significant other and alleged victim had a phone conversation where she revealed that Subject 1 (now known as Mills) instructed her to lie about the cause of her bruises. The report also states that Subject 1 later contacted the police and admitted that the situation escalated from verbal to physical, resulting in visible bruising.
When the police arrived, they found the woman in the lobby of the Salamander hotel next door. According to the report, one of the officers quickly recognized her among the other patrons in the lobby based on her physical state – she was visibly shaking and appeared frightened.
The report states that the police officer who responded to the incident informed the individual that they would be arrested. However, the situation took a turn when the woman approached the police and retracted her previous statement, including the information regarding the origin of the bruises. News4 has attempted to contact the responding officer but has not received a response.
Under D.C. law, officers are required to arrest an individual if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed a domestic violence offense that has caused physical harm, including pain.
News4 obtained a second version of the police report the day after the alleged incident. This version states that the officers were called in response to a family disturbance and concluded that there was no probable cause for an arrest.
D.C. police were contacted by News4 for a comment, and they subsequently provided a third version of the report on Thursday night. The report had undergone another change, stating that officers had responded to a report of an assault and that an investigation into the assault is currently ongoing.
The D.C. police department is currently conducting an internal investigation to determine why the officers involved in the incident did not make any arrests. They are also looking into why the incident was classified as a family disturbance rather than an assault.
According to a statement given to News4, the department has taken immediate action upon learning of the matter. They have conducted a thorough review of their initial response to ensure that all procedures were followed. Currently, the Internal Affairs Bureau of the MPD is investigating this incident.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser informed News4 that there is currently an internal investigation taking place to ensure that all members of the police department followed MPD policy. While she couldn’t provide immediate comment on the investigation involving Mills or the related police reports.
Mills, a two-term congressman, is known to be married and has two children, according to his online bios.
Mills had previously expressed his interest in running for the Senate seat that was left vacant by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
