Current:Home > ScamsMan arrested in Nebraska in alleged assault of former US Sen. Martha McSally -Ascend Wealth Education
Man arrested in Nebraska in alleged assault of former US Sen. Martha McSally
View
Date:2025-04-16 05:34:14
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A man was arrested early Friday in the alleged assault of former U.S. Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, who says she was molested as she jogged along the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Council Bluffs police said in a statement that the 25-year-old suspect from Papillion, Nebraska, was spotted by officers in Omaha, Nebraska, at 3:23 a.m. and arrested. Police said the man will be extradited back to Council Bluffs.
“You picked the wrong target,” McSally wrote of the attacker in a Facebook post. She earlier described the Wednesday morning attack in a video she posted online.
“A man came up behind me and he engulfed me in a bear hug and he molested and fondled me until I fought him off,” she said. “I then chased him down. I said a lot of swear words in this moment. I was in a fight, flight or freeze. And I chose to fight.”
After McSally chased the man into the brush at Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park, she called police. She lost sight of the man and he got away, but police said video surveillance and other investigative work led them to the suspect.
The former senator who failed to win reelection in Arizona in 2020 said she was in the Omaha area to deliver a speech about courage in Omaha on Wednesday night. Omaha and Council Bluffs are just 5 miles (8 kilometers) apart.
The first woman to fly a fighter plane in combat said in the video that she was OK, but that the assault “tapped into a nerve of other sexual abuse and assault that I’ve been through in the past.”
McSally disclosed during a 2019 Senate hearing on sexual assault in the military that she had been raped by a superior officer in the Air Force. She didn’t report that assault at the time because she didn’t trust the system, but she said Wednesday: “I took my power back. He tried to take power from me, but I turned it on him and he was running from me instead of the other way around.”
McSally served in the Air Force from 1988 until 2010 and rose to the rank of colonel before entering politics. She served two terms in the House before narrowly losing a bid to represent Arizona in the Senate against Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
In 2018 she was appointed to replace longtime GOP Sen. John McCain after his death.
veryGood! (35)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Truth, Reckoning and Right Relationship: A Rights of Nature Epiphany
- 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F': New promo released of Eddie Murphy movie starring NFL's Jared Goff
- New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning win Game 4 to avoid sweeps
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Match Group CEO Bernard Kim on romance scams: Things happen in life
- Frank Gore Jr. signs with Buffalo Bills as undrafted free agent, per report
- Texas Companies Eye Pecos River Watershed for Oilfield Wastewater
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- NFL draft best available players: Live look at rankings as Day 2 picks are made
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat
- 2024 Kentucky Derby post positions set: Here's where each horse landed
- Brenden Rice, son of Jerry Rice, picked by Chargers in seventh round of NFL draft
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Massachusetts police bust burglary ring that stole $4 million in jewels over six years
- MLS schedule April 27: Messi visits Foxborough, New York Red Bulls in another intriguing game
- News anchor Poppy Harlow announces departure from CNN
Recommendation
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Prom night flashback: See your fave celebrities in dresses, suits before they were famous
Bengals address needs on offensive and defensive lines in NFL draft, add a receiver for depth
Tom Holland Proves Again He's Zendaya's No. 1 Fan Amid Release of Her New Film Challengers
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
United Methodists give early approval to measures that could pave new path on LGBTQ+ issues
NFL draft order Saturday: Who drafts when for Rounds 4 through 7 of 2024 NFL draft
Russia arrests another suspect in the concert hall attack that killed 144