Woman who filed a police complaint? alleging she was repeatedly raped by former Michigan House speaker Lee Chatfield who has been identified as his sister-in-law.
The whistleblower, Rebekah Chatfield, told the local newspaper Michigan Bridge that the lawmaker first assaulted her when she was a 15-year-old high school student dating his brother; He was supposed to be an adult at the time. The alleged abuse first occurred at Northern Michigan Gaylord Baptist Church around 2010.
Rebekah Chatfield claims that the assaults have lasted for about a decade — through the summer of 2021 — and that the politician even assaulted her in his office in the state capital.
“He destroyed me and controlled my life since I was 15-16 years old,” she said.
Lee Chatfield was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2014. He went on to become the youngest speaker of the House in more than 100 years, according to story on the website of the state party.
Before being elected, he served as a teacher, boys’ soccer coach and athletic director at the school where the alleged attacks first took place.
Chatfield leaves office in 2020 because of Michigan term limits; he continued to serve as CEO of economic development corporation Southwest Michigan First, but resigned following controversy over his track record on LGBTQ issues.
In a statement to Bridge Michigan, the former politician’s attorney, Mary Chartier, vehemently denied the rape allegation.
She admitted: “He had sex while married, including sex with the woman who was claiming she was raped, but both were consenting adults.
“Mr. Chatfield deeply regrets the decisions he has made. It has caused great pain to his wife and family, and they are getting through this together. But he did not assault him. this woman in any way in their mature, years-long relationship.”
Police are investigating the allegations.
