(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Patrick Moran, the son of Rep. Jim Moran, has pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend outside a bar in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
The Washington City Paper reports that the incident happened early on the morning of Dec. 1, outside The Getaway at 3400 14th Street NW. Moran was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence. The incident happened a little more than a month following the release of a video showing Moran discussing how to commit voter fraud.
According to the City Paper, a D.C. police report indicates Patrick Moran and his girlfriend were fighting outside the bar when Moran allegedly slammed the woman’s head against the bar’s metal trash can cage. A police report cited by the paper said the woman was “bleeding heavily from her nose” and her “nose and right eye were extremely swollen.”
Moran was charged with felony domestic violence assault, but today he pleaded guilty to the downgraded charge of simple assault, which is a misdemeanor. He has been sentenced to probation.
“Patrick and Kelly are both good kids and I hope their privacy will be respected,” Rep. Moran said in a brief statement. “They look forward to putting this embarrassing situation behind them.”
At 2:30 p.m., Rep. Moran’s office issued a second statement, condemning domestic violence but calling the Dec. 1 incident an “accident.”
The Congressman strongly condemns domestic violence. As was stated in court by both his son Patrick and his girlfriend Kelly, the situation was an accident. They were the only two people involved in the scene. In that sense, their statements are the only ones that matter. They are both very embarrassed by the situation, which involved drinking, and they are looking to move past it, and ask for their privacy to be respected.
Kelly Hofmann, who identifies herself as the victim of the incident, released a statement late this afternoon.
This was an accident that has been blown out of proportion. The statements in the police report are inaccurate. Pat and I were arguing, one of my high heels gave out, and I fell into the side of a trashcan. On impact, I fractured my nose. False conclusions were made as a result. I hope our privacy will be respected.
Kelly Hofmann
A source close to Rep. Moran tells ARLnow.com said that Hofmann did not press charges and testified in Patrick’s defense today, adding that she suffered from no broken bones and is back at work.
Hofmann’s account is contrary to the police report, which states that a Metropolitan Police officer and a D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration agent observed Moran “grab [Hofmann] by the back of her head with his hand and slam her head into the metal trash can cage in front of the nightclub.”