Congresswoman: I Was Sexually Abused At East Providence School

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — An Arizona congresswoman who grew up in Rhode Island claimed in an interview this week that she was sexually abused by a track coach at an East Providence school in the 1980s. U.S. Representative Martha McSally told the Wall Street Journal she went through "hell."

"I was so afraid," McSally told the Journal. "I now understand — like many girls and boys who are abused by people in authority ... there’s a lot of fear and manipulation and shame.”

McSally said the abuse happened while she attended St. Mary Academy-Bay View. The Journal identified the coach as Jack Dwyer, who denied sexually abusing McSally.

"She's nuts," Dwyer told the Journal. "That girl is the most scheming woman I've ever met."

A St. Mary Academy-Bay View spokeswoman provided this statement to Patch: "We are saddened by these allegations, and we are committed to confronting issues of misconduct and abuse, irrespective of when the incident occurred. Nothing is more important than the safety of our students."

McSally is currently running for the Arizona U.S. Senate seat held by Jeff Flake, who recently announced his retirement.

• Wall Street Journal: Arizona Rep. Martha McSally Alleges Sexual Abuse by High-School Coach (subscription required)

Photo credit: mcsally.house.gov