Police report: Woman says Smith 'really popped me' with his fist
PORTLAND, Ore. – According to a 1993 police report from the Eugene Police Department, Portland mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith told police he struck a woman with his fist during an off-campus party and the woman told police he "really popped me."
The existence of the report and its contents were first reported by newspapers Willamette Week and The Oregonian Monday night. The newspapers obtained the documents from the woman's lawyer, John Bassett, who confirmed the police reports to KATU News and sent it a copy of the documents late Monday night with the woman’s permission. KATU News is not identifying the woman at her request.
Smith signed a diversion agreement that required him to pay the woman's medical bills and do community service in exchange for not being charged with a misdemeanor. Smith also agreed to stay away from the woman.
But Bassett told KATU News that Smith came to her home on Sunday morning Sept. 30 at 8 a.m. and left a note that read: "I felt sorry then. I feel sorry now. It was an accident."
Bassett also said Smith returned to her home Oct. 4 and left another note that said, "I'm sorry."
Smith's campaign released to KATU News what it said was the entire letter. In that letter Smith wrote to the woman that he hoped what happened 20 years ago "wouldn't be a focus" because he feared it would force her unwittingly into the public spotlight. Smith assured her that he would protect her identity and said he's done his best to tell the truth.
"Any question you want to ask me, I want to answer," he wrote. "I know it's been a long time & that you're busy, but if you're willing to spend a few minutes I would be more than happy to talk ... and listen. It's also totally understandable if you don't want to talk about it."
Bassett also released a statement to KATU News on behalf of the woman.
"She does not want a microphone. She is not looking for any publicity. The only reason she has come forward now is to correct the version of events that Jefferson Smith is offering. He has said some things that just aren't true."
Smith was 20 years old on the night of Oct. 17, 1993 when he was a student at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The woman was 18. The police report described the woman as 5 foot 3 and weighing 115 pounds. Smith was described as 6 foot 2.
In interviews after the scuffle came to light last week, Smith couldn't exactly recall how he injured the woman that night.
"The recollection I had was that it was my hand, but I didn't rear back and try to hurt anybody," he told KATU News reporter Anna Canzano last Tuesday during an exclusive sit-down interview. "I just tried to shove her away and whether it was a fingernail or my front knuckles or my elbow, it was an accident."
But in the report the woman told police that Smith "really popped me" and that Smith "drew back and struck her once."
According to the report, she told police Smith hit her once in the left eye with a closed fist.
"What was I supposed to do?" Smith was quoted in the report as saying to police. "I was wrong. I admit that. I didn't know how else to handle it."
He told police he didn't intend to hurt the woman.
The police officer who wrote the report said the woman received five or six stitches at the hospital and there was some swelling.
Additionally, the woman told police Smith had been "coming on" to her "all evening" but that she rebuffed his advances.
Smith's versions of events and the police report essentially agree on how the confrontation started. The woman was lying on a couch when it was tipped or according to the report, "wiggled." The woman then attacked Smith, thinking it was he who had disturbed her.
According to the police report, Smith at first tried to stop her from hitting him by grabbing her arms.
Late Monday night, Smith released the following statement:
"This unfortunate incident 19 years ago was one of the worst nights of my life. I have tried to be truthful about what happened, and at least 4 people who were there (including those I haven’t spoken to in nearly 20 years) have confirmed that I was defending myself after being struck repeatedly. I’ve tried to take responsibility for my actions -- then and now."
KATU News Assignment Editor Colin Miner contributed to this report.
wow 20 years ago and all you people are stuck on this. Have to question why katu is so into this. Maybe they are geting a kick back from weiner..I am sure many people do not even remember what happened 20 years ago...KATU REPORT THE NEWS. This is just a witch hunt..............
What a lying pig, typical politician.
If a man hits a woman it's assault, if a woman hits a man it's a spat...double standard anyone?
After Sammy and Randy this guy is a breath of fresh air!
Don't care how old your are...If you HIT some poor girl in the face twice..it's over! Â Forget about public life!
Much ado about nothing.
Once again, the news media will push, twist and turn to elect who they like best. Â In this case it isn't Smith. Â This is a bunch of 20 year old crap which isn't even newsworthy. Â He's still got my vote.
I do not have any thing to lose in this mayoral race. I don't live in Portland. That said... I have watched for many years "Tree Arrow" be a terrorist. Tree hugging, tree sitting, burning private property and on and on. How could he even get on a list for a mayor?
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Smith, while at a college party, hit a woman who attack him; but has done nothing to get on a rap sheet since and they are trying to keep him off the ballot???
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Considering who has gotten elected the last few years, Smith looks like a Rose. You have had everything from Poison oak to a Stink Lilly. About time for a nicer one that doesn't make the Northwest a laughing stock.
I'm betting she was/is a heffer. No college dude would strike a hot chick in the face.
@Agent Sydney Bristow Well I did read that he had been hitting on her earlier in the night, figuratively of course. She denied him. She was either attractive enough to hit on, or at the very least...attractive enough to hit on with a twelve pack of beer goggles on.
 @Portlander29 Like any good Frat Brother, Smith was just falling on the grenade.
 @Agent Sydney BristowÂ
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That is so misogynistic and kinda funny in a frat party kinda way...you don't have lady parts, do you?
Lol, ya you will never score nailing a hot chick. (No pun intended)
So he really popped her after she attacked him for no reason? How exactly is it that she is being portrayed as the victim here? What happened to equality. If a man attacks another man, is the man being attacked not expected to do whatever necessary to defend himself? I don't think a man should hit a woman in general, but when provoked and assaulted by that woman, all bets are off.
Heck ya, I would have knocked the Sh*% out of the woman, now she is the victim. I just don't get it!!
The moral of the story is:Â "Bad judgement is a life sentence".
 @Icarus Only when reporters have nothing better to report. I wonder how long it will be till some reporter files a story about some candidate farting in an elevator.
"In that letter Smith wrote to the woman that he hoped what happened 20 years ago "wouldn't be a focus" because he feared it would force her unwittingly into the public spotlight."
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Right..................
Write-in vote for Mayor. LaVonne Griffin-Valade. Â
K2 clearly doesn't want Smith to win as they are the only local station to continue digging up dirt and running smear stories.
 @JamieÂ
Or maybe KATU is the only station that wants to get to the truth of the matter.
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The electorate is entitled to know all about the candidates we are voting for. In this case it shows the character of the candidate and to me that is important.
Portland's #1 mayoral candidate Tre Arrow would never hit a woman....
 @August100 yeah...he'd probably just steal her purse, climb a tree, then throw feces at the onlookers.
 @August100 I'm pretty sure that Tre was in the news a while back for a domestic dispute with a woman. It is what made him drop out of the race.
 @Dirtman The case was dropped; it never happened.
Why dont we forget that "Arrow" is a convicted felon that had to extradited from Canada to face terrorisim charges. Why would he be any better that a someone who had an incident art a frat party over 20 years ago???
 @Dirtman  @Civ All of Tre Arrow's misdeeds were directly caused by his BRUTAL TORTURE in prison over his FALSE CONVICTION, resulting in PTSD; everyone knows that.
@Civ He also was in jail in Canada for shoplifting.Â
bogus accusations! Â this chick probably deserved it.Â
 @ceilingbanger Based on the specific facts of the case presented here, I agree with you.
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Funny how this garbage comes up weeks prior to the election. Where has she been since he began his political life?.........Come on sweet heart if it is important enough for you to stand behind the curtain and make claims then why not step into the light and make your claims!!!!!!!!
 @FreerideNOT Yeah. It was a really slow week at WW, considering they had to go back 20 years to dig up something supposedly newsworthy. I heard a rumor they're going to start printing WWW on yellow paper.
 @FreerideNOT Article seems to indicate that the Willamette Week brought this to light and it wasn't until Jefferson Smith released comment on the incident that she came forward with her own statement with the understanding she would not be named.  Doesn't sound like she is looking for the spotlight on this not to say I think this is worthy of all the attention that KATU seems to think it does.
This is bul!s#!t. If she's going to "come forward" now and dispute his confession of things that happened 20 years ago, at a college party when everyone was drunk, she should do publicly, or let the official record stand as it is. What's your agenda, lady? I don't have much sympathy for guys who hit chicks, but this is just stupid.
Non-story.
asny Man that hits a woman is no man .
 @lee986321 Ha ha ha! Riiiight. If some woman comes up and opens a can of whoopass on you, Lee, I'd bet you dollars to donuts you'd fight back, especially if she's a martial arts whiz or has some weapon in her hand. this ain't the ancient world where women were genteel folk who spent all their time tittering into handkerchiefs.
There is a time and place for everything. If a woman is assaulting a man, what is he to do, turn and run? Or defend himself. If a woman is hitting me and I am not able to subdue her or get away from the assault, I will defend myself if needed.
The old days of chivalry are gone for the most part. I have had "women" sneer at me when I hold the door, or they make sure to use the other door in a bank etc. I hold the door for whoever it is.
Now is not the time to drag up some old rotted dirt anyway.
 @lee986321 Any woman who physically attacks a man better expect him to defend himself! You know, they want to be treated equally right? Why discriminate.
We all make mistakes, but no one goes around punching women in the face, or punches opponents playing pick-up basketball either. Now he's stalking around this lady, leaving weird notes? This guy is really starting to sound spooky. I hope he doesn't read my post, he might punch me lol.
 @The Voice of Reason Doesn't make sense that he would stalk her over an incident that happened almost 20 years ago. What does make sense is her attempting blackmail could be the reason for the 'weird' notes.
boy, how big a loser did Eileen Brady have to had been  to get fewer votes than Jefferson....
Seems like the perfect follow up to the lying chickenhawk who now occupies the mayors office.
Dirt diggin'... we all make mistakes...
 @Grammy54 She attacked him, he defended himself, end of story. I don't care how big of size difference or gender difference, you never know if someone has some training. If he did not defend himself, he could have been hurt or maybe even killed by the crazed woman. I don't care about who wins the election, anybody is better then Sammy, but what is the big deal bringing this garbage up KATU?
 @randomdude  @Grammy54 That's bull, I had a girl come at me once, granted she was intoxicated but she came at me. All I did was grab her with both hands and pinned her against a wall till she calmed down.  No need to take a swing!
Beating a woman with a fist and lying about it? Nice What a liar
@ryanmang Just because the woman claims that is what happened doesn't mean it is true. The fact that it is on the police report doesn't mean that's what happened either. The fact that it is on the police report just means that this is the statement the woman gave to the police. I wasn't there and don't know what happened but I refuse to say Mr. Smith beat the woman just because that is the statement she gave the police.
 @theprodigal  @ryanmangÂ
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Yeah, but how about the fact that Mr. Smith plead guilty and apologized and just can't help stalking the woman to continue to apologize. Beleiving that he didn't hit her reminds me of all the people who refused to believe that Herman Cain ever touched those 12 women who won cash settlements from him because he did.
@Icarus @ryanmang There has to be some evidence other than the woman saying "he beat me" before I will accept it as truth. If I arrived after the alleged beating and saw the woman with cuts, bruises,etc., I would believe the woman until it is proven otherwise.
@theprodigal What, you mean woman lie?
 @oodathunked  I can't stop laughing!