Murrieta's Mayor Claims Allegations Against Him Are Part of Political Witch Hunt

Murrieta's mayor is firing back at allegations made against him that he sexually assaulted a woman while at a mixer earlier this year.

Mayor Harry Ramos, 38, condemned the woman that accused him of molesting her during a Chamber of Commerce party on Jan. 22 and called the claims part of a racially motivated conspiracy.

"This is such a blatant and disgusting attack on my character and family," he told a group of reporters during a press conference Friday.

A tort claim was filed against Ramos and the city of Murrieta Wednesday. In it, he is accused of "repeated verbal advances, kissing," grabbing and squeezing Kathleen Smith's buttocks and inner thighs without her consent while "acting in the course and scope of his position."

Smith was an employee with a local radio station at the time of the function and met Ramos for the first time there.

She said the alleged molestation caused her to quit her job.

According to the claim, she chose to stay quiet about the alleged assault until an investigator hired by the city to probe the mayor informed her the alleged molestation was witnessed by people who were interviewed as part of an on-going investigation. Three witnesses were listed in the claim.

Ramos is defiant he "never, ever sexually assaulted Ms. Smith," and he's "never inappropriately touched a woman or forced," himself, "onto a woman."

He alluded Smith may have ulterior motives but wouldn't go into detail about what those possible motives could be.

Smith's attorneys said Ramos was just trying to create doubt against her claims.

The investigator who contacted Smith was initially hired to look into allegations that the mayor had inappropriate interactions with some staff members and citizens. Ramos called it a political witch hunt.

He attributed the allegations to him refusing, "... to go along with crony politics and support certain developers."

He also said he believed the city investigation is racially motivated.

Not everyone agreed with him.

"I don't think anybody on the council or in our city hall is vicious enough to do something like this," Faye Wonds said, a Murrieta resident.

The tort claim was referred to the city's joint power agency and Murrieta has 45 days to take action by either accepting it, rejecting it or come up with a compromise, according to Jeff Morris, the city's attorney.

Ramos plans to contact the district attorney's office and assert the allegations against him are part of a political conspiracy.