College professor who accused Virginia Lt. Governor of sexual assault to speak with prosecutors
The first woman who accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault is now prepared to detail her case before prosecutors.
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Dr. Vanessa Tyson, a tenured professor at Scripps College, is one of two women currently accusing Fairfax of sexual assault.
Her attorneys announced Wednesday that Tyson is prepared to talk with the Suffolk County district attorney’s office about the accusations against Fairfax, attorney Debra Katz said in a statement.
District Attorney Rachael Rollins reached out to Tyson’s legal team to inform them they were ready to open an investigation into the claims if and when Tyson moved forward with filing a criminal complaint.
“Usually in sexual assault cases we are not public in any way, but this individual chose to self-report and issued a statement and has a law firm and I felt compelled quite frankly to make sure that her firm knew that we stand ready, willing and able to assist in any way possible,” Rollins said in an interview Wednesday.
Tyson issued a statement via her attorneys detailing an alleged sexual assault she says Fairfax committed against her in 2004.
In her letter, Tyson explains that she met Fairfax in Boston during the 2004 Democratic Convention. According to her, the two engaged in consensual kissing in his hotel room, but the kissing quickly escalated into Fairfax forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
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“After the assault, I suffered from both deep humiliation and shame. I did not speak about it for years, and I (like most survivors) suppressed those memories and emotions as a necessary means to continue my studies, and pursue my goal of building a successful career as an academic,” Tyson wrote in her statement.
Fairfax has denied the forcible assault but acknowledges a sexual encounter with Tyson at the convention, but maintains that it was consensual.
On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Fairfax said if a complaint is filed by Tyson, he would cooperate fully with an investigation by the Boston district attorney’s office.
“In that event, the Lt. Governor will explore all options with regard to filing his own criminal complaint in response to the filing of a false criminal complaint against him,’” spokeswoman Lauren Burke said.
