After being detained and accused of public sexual immorality earlier this month, the Republican candidate for the Maricopa Community College District Governing Board halted his campaign. Following reports that he had been detained earlier in October when a police officer allegedly saw him masturbating in his car in a public parking lot, Randy Kaufman announced the suspension of his campaign on Tuesday.
A police report states that on October 4 at at 4:40 p.m., Kaufman was in his parked Ford F-150 pickup truck in Rio Salado College’s east parking lot in Surprise. The vehicle was parked over three spots, so a police officer from the Maricopa County Community College District pulled over to take a closer look.
According to the police report, the officer parked their car approximately 20 feet from the truck’s passenger side and came up to the vehicle when he saw a man masturbating and using a smartphone while wearing his trousers down to mid-thigh.
The officer wrote in the report that Kaufman was unaware of him, but from the parking lot, he could clearly see a bicycle and young children near Wirtzie’s Preschool and Child Care Center. Kaufman spotted the police and quickly covered himself with a cloth as he proceeded to the driver’s side of the car.
According to the police report, when Kaufman pulled down his window, the officer said, “Seriously?,” and then instructed him to pull up his trousers and get out of the car. Kaufman responded, “I’m sorry,” the complaint said. “I screwed up. I’m quite anxious.
When the police approached the driver’s side door and acknowledged that he had been watching pornography on his phone while masturbating, Kaufman claimed he had not spotted the officer.
According to the complaint, the officer questioned, “Why would you do that here?” “I saw a man on a bike pass you by. Do you not believe that others could see you if I could see you? In the parking lot, cars were driving by you.
According to the police report, Kaufman allegedly said that he just discovered that later. Kaufman said, “I’m just extremely worried out. “I have a lot going on,” you say.
Kaufman informed the officer that he didn’t typically engage in public masturbation. The report indicates that when the officer asked Kaufman to explain the surroundings around him and to have a look around, Kaufman said that he hadn’t noticed the child care center until the police had challenged him.
The officer asked, “Don’t you see how scary that is?” That there are kids close by, cyclists going by, and automobiles passing by where they might observe what you’re doing?
Kaufman stated he resided in Buckeye but had driven to the area to buy rebar and that he had “f—ked up” again. According to the police report, Kaufman admitted to the officer that he was aware that masturbating in public was illegal. After 27 years of service with the Arizona Department of Corrections, he informed the officer that he was retired.
According to the police report, after requesting permission to speak “off-the-record,” Kaufman informed the officer he knew Jim Hill, a police officer at the Maricopa County Community College District. He also indicated that he was a prospective member of the board of directors for the Maricopa County Community College District.
According to the police report, the officer informed his boss about Kaufman’s claims that he was running for the board of directors and knew another officer in the department. On the basis of allegations of public obscenity, Kaufman was detained.
A spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Agency, Jennifer Liewer, stated that the office had not yet received a submission from the officer and that prosecutors would need more time to consider the case before deciding whether or not to file charges.
In writing, Kaufman informed The Arizona Republic that he had stopped his campaign: “Recently, a personal legal issue arose, and I need to withdraw from the race to concentrate on personal matters. I genuinely appreciate all of the friends and supporters I’ve made over the campaign. I’ll never give up my struggle to defend the US Constitution and the principles that make America the greatest nation on earth.”
Additionally, the Republican Party of Arizona issued a statement endorsing Kaufman’s choice to halt his campaign:
“Every American citizen has a right to equal treatment under the law. The Arizona Republican Party upholds the rule of law and the Constitution. We agree with Mr. Kaufman’s choice to put his candidacy on hold.” According to Jim Hill, president of the Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association, the police union has withdrawn its support for Kaufman.
