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Bernadette Greene-Placentia rape case: Arizona US House Democrat candidate shares details of horrific ordeal; what attacker said
Bernadette Greene-Placentia is the Democratic candidate for Arizona Congressional District 8 who was reportedly raped while repairing a damaged campaign sign.
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Bernadette Greene-Placentia is the Democratic candidate for Arizona Congressional District 8 who was reportedly raped when repairing a damaged campaign sign.
A date of the assault was not shared, but the reported incident took place after 2am on a Friday morning, Phoenix New Times reported. Greene-Placentia was smashed over her head and blacked out. She woke up to find a strange man on top of her, the report noted.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia rape: Horrific details emerge
Greene-Placentia reportedly struggled to open her eyes. The report noted that the Congressional candidate had felt a sharp pain in her waist and the attacker was pulling his penis out of her.
One of Greene-Placentia's legs was out of her jean capris. She was reportedly wearing new tennis shoes and a campaign tee. Another man then came over her and the aspiring lawmaker felt his weight nudge her left leg further apart.
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At this time, she reportedly began to swing her foot at him, and the man reportedly remarked “Not even worth it,” and moved away. The man was wearing black boots and had small feet, Greene-Placentia said, as per the report.
They reportedly left her face down in the parking lot. “It’s just these little tiny flashes of things that I do remember. As much as I don’t want to remember, I’ve tried very, very hard to remember more stuff. But that’s where I’m at,” she told the publication about the horrific ordeal.
What did Bernadette Greene-Placentia's attacker say?
Greene-Placentia recalled her attacker mumble something like ‘-ic b**ch, not a very good f**k.’ Her mind filled it in as ‘Democratic b**ch’ but she wasn't sure of what was exactly said.
Her body was covered in bruises after the assault, the report noted, and she had marks on the back of her arms and above her butt. Greene-Placentia initially said she did not want to report what had happened, as she was ‘embarrassed’ and wanted to ‘forget it happened’. However, she changed her mind, saying “I didn’t feel like I could keep saying that if I weren’t also fighting for women that are victims of sexual assault.”
Greene-Placentia first told her campaign staff what happened, and then informed husband, Alex Placentia. The sexual assault was reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office two weeks after the incident. The aspiring lawmaker noted that the incident had taken place near 99th Avenue and Bell Road in Sun City.
“It was a really huge area. Based on the fact that I wasn’t gone long, we figured it was somewhere in Sun City, or maybe Surprise. I have over 250 signs up, and at some point, all 250 have needed repairs or something. On any given night, there could be 30 or 40 stops where we either put up a sign or fixed a sign,” she said.
Greene-Placentia has been a long-haul trucker and moved to the district with her husband in 2017. She is challenging MAGA Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh for the seat in the November 3 midterms.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia's ordeal draws reactions
Several people expressed shock at the ordeal Greene-Placentia had to face. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego said “I’m absolutely heartbroken to hear this news, and I’m thinking of Bernadette and her loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. We cannot tolerate political or sexual violence in any form. Those responsible must be held accountable. Thank you for speaking out, Bernadette. We're with you.”
Senator Mark Kelly added “What happened to Bernadette Greene-Placentia is an outrage. It took real courage for her to speak publicly about something so painful. The criminal who did this must be found and held fully accountable.”
Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton also said “What happened to Bernadette is horrific. No one should ever be subjected to this kind of violence — especially while engaging in the democratic process. I spoke to her today to thank her for her extraordinary courage in coming forward. Whoever did this must be held fully accountable.”
