BOSTON (WHDH) - City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo has set a hearing for Thursday to have the files regarding the sexual assault allegations unsealed after clashing with interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden at a debate Wednesday night.
The allegations took center stage at the Suffolk County DA debate at Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan Wednesday night. They first came to light after a Boston Globe story revealed that Arroyo was investigated twice for sexual assault, though no charges were filed.
“These accusations and allegations were investigated in real-time when I was a high school student and what was found was that these accusations were unfounded,” said Arroyo.
Hayden honed in on the allegations, calling them a serious disqualifier for a DA candidate.
“I believe that the recent allegations regarding Councilor Arroyo are both horrifying and disqualifying, and I believe that, ultimately, the voters are going to have to make a determination as to whether or not he is qualified for the position,” Hayden said during his time at the mic.
“What Kevin Hayden is trying to do is ignore the fact that that woman has come forward and stated unequivocally that I have never assaulted her,” Arroyo retorted during his turn. “Not only has she done that, she has stated unequivocally that she was approached two weeks before the Globe by a detective by the name of Brian Gill, who she believes is associated with Kevin Hayden’s campaign.”
The allegations, which Arroyo has insinuated were leaked by Hayden’s campaign, involve a case that dates back to when Arroyo was 18 in 2005, then another case in 2007. Through an attorney, one of the women said last week that Arroyo never assaulted her.
However, a new report from the Globe featured an interview with the other woman involved in the allegations, in which she said she stood by everything she reported in 2005.
As the allegations continue to cast a shadow on the DA’s race, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey have pulled their endorsements for Arroyo. Several other prominent politicians have pulled their support for Arroyo as well, including City Council President Ed Flynn, who stripped Arroyo of his appointments on the City Council.
Arroyo told 7NEWS he has vowed to stay in the race. He has also said he is suing for copies of the cases’ investigative files, and said he wants them made public.
“I am trying to get that file so that we can have a full, complete, actual conversation on this, that is fact-based and based on what has actually been found and what the evidence would show,” Arroyo told reporters earlier in the day.
Both candidates said its now up to the voters to decide.
“I believe the voters will ultimately have to make a determination as to whether he is qualified for the position,” said Hayden.
“I think endorsers have been making their own decisions. I noticed many of them have been very clear that there is still a stark choice in this race,” said Arroyo. “I intend to give voters every reason to make sure that choice is me.”
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