Kentucky state lawmaker faces domestic violence charges

Kentucky state Rep. Robert Goforth (R) was arrested Tuesday on domestic violence charges. 

Goforth, 44, was arrested on first-degree strangulation, fourth-degree domestic violence and third-degree terroristic threatening charges about 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Deputies from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a complaint “that a female subject was at 911 Dispatch Center in London wanting to speak to a deputy regarding an alleged domestic assault that had just occurred with three small children still in the home,” the sheriff’s office shared in a statement on Facebook.

The home is located in London, Ky. 

The statement said that the woman had visible marks on her forehead, neck, arms and legs. There was allegedly an altercation in which she was strangled, and the woman accused Goforth of saying that “he was going to kill her.” 

The children were found safe in the home, according to the sheriff’s department. Goforth was lodged in the Laurel County correctional center.

The alleged assault happened about 1:30 a.m., the Louisville Courier Journal reported. The woman completed paperwork for an emergency protective order, and she told deputies that Goforth tried to “hog tie her,” according to the Courier Journal.

Police said the man attempted to strangle the woman with an Ethernet cable and strangled her “to the point that she had difficulty breathing and believed she was going to pass out,” according to the outlet. He also allegedly struck her and left a bruise on her forehead.

The woman said she was able to leave the residence after promising to unlock her phone, which “initiated the altercation,” according to the arrest citation, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.  

Goforth was released from jail Tuesday after posting a $25,000 bond. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 1.

The Kentucky General Assembly voted in 2019 to elevate strangulation to a felony offense and categorize it as a crime of domestic or dating violence amid concerns raised by women’s advocates, the newspaper reported. Goforth was among the lawmakers who voted for the legislation, the outlet reported.

Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne (R) said in a statement that the House GOP caucus had “just been made aware of these charges and do not know the facts related to this case.”

“While we reserve comment on this specific situation, the House Majority Caucus unequivocally denounces any form of domestic violence and has zero tolerance for it or its perpetrators,” Osborne said, the Courier Journal reported.

“A society that values human life must also condemn domestic abuse. We each have a moral obligation to not only speak out against domestic violence, but also to recognize that domestic abuse knows no boundaries. Its victims and perpetrators come from every income, race, or socioeconomic status,” he added. 

Kentucky Democratic Party spokeswoman Marisa McNee said in a Tuesday statement that Goforth “must resign immediately. 

“This is not the first time a victim of Mr. Goforth’s violent assaults has come forward,” McNee said. “Republican leadership has ignored this for far too long, it is time for them to take action. Goforth needs to go.” 

At the beginning of his 2019 gubernatorial primary bid against former Gov. Matt Bevin (R), Goforth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman more than a decade ago. He has denied those allegations, according to the Courier Journal.