Oregon Senator Told Not To Touch Women; Smoke At Capitol

SALEM, OR -- A state senator was removed from his committee assignments recently after he was accused of behaving inappropriately at the capitol.

In a letter to state Sen. Jeff Kruse on Oct. 20, Senate President Peter Courtney accused him of smoking at the capitol building and inappropriately touching women.

"This week I was made aware that your behavior toward women in the workplace has also gone unchanged," wrote Courtney in the letter that was made public Tuesday. "Two new incidents were brought to my attention."

Courtney said the incidents were reported to Employee Services and Legislative Counsel.

"Continuing to touch women at work is inappropriate workplace conduct of which you have already been warned," Courtney wrote. "Let me be very clear. Women in the Captiol do NOT want you to touch them."

Courtney also accused Kruse of "repeatedly" breaking the law by smoking at the capitol building. In response to the alleged actions, Kruse was removed from his committee assignments and his office door will be removed by Friday.

A phone call to Kruse, a Republican representing Roseburg, was not immediately returned.

In a statement, Gov. Kate Brown called reports of sexual harassment "absolutely unacceptable."

"Recently, we have seen a tidal wave of women speaking out and standing up against harassment, discrimination, and abuse," Brown said. "As examples of these issues have again stoked a national dialogue, it is all too clear that no workplace or community is immune to them — sadly even in our state capitol. This behavior must be stopped, and I applaud the courage of those who brought these allegations to light."

The allegations against Kruse come amid a social media campaign where victims are encouraged to share their stories of sexual harassment and violence while using the hashtag "#MeToo."

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.

--AP Photo/Rick Bowmer