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GOP Campaign Worker Recants Gay Bashing Story Now Faces Criminal Charges

Photo supplied to Daily Caller by Kyle Wood

MADISON, WI -- A volunteer for Republican congressional candidate Chad Lee, who claimed he was attacked because of his politics and sexual orientation last week, has recanted those claims. Kyle Wood could now face criminal charges that include obstructing police or filing a false police report.

Madison Police Captain Joe Balles told reporters Monday;

"We don't ever want to be in the business of discouraging crime victims to come forward," Balles said. "At the same time, when something like this happens, this is on the extremes." 

Wood claimed that he was attacked for being a gay man and not supporting Democratic congressional candidate and state Representative Mark Pocan (D-Madison) who is also gay. Pocan is running against Lee for the 2nd Congressional District seat being vacated by Tammy Baldwin, who is running for U.S. Senate.

Wood first made claims - after filing a police report - to the conservative online media outlet The Daily Caller last week and supplied the DC with photographs of him after the alleged attack, purportedly showing injuries to his neck, head and face.

In the e-mail to the DC, Wood had written:

“I was getting ready for work and there was a knock at the door,” Wood emailed The Daily Caller late Wednesday. “I opened it, and a guy wrapped a ligature around my neck, slammed my head into the doorway, and smashed my face into a mirror, telling me ‘You should have kept your fucking mouth shut.’” 

“He then kidney-punched me, while at the same time saying I was ‘warned,’ and continued to beat me,” he added. Wood said his attacker’s reference to a warning likely pointed to graffiti he found painted on his car last week. The vandalism included the phrases “house trained republican faggot,” “traitor,” and “ur like a jew 4 hitler.”

Wood also claimed that after he discovered the graffiti, he posted on Facebook; [Addressed to his alleged unknown vandal.]

“If you understand either freedom or me at all,” he wrote, “you would that this will only make me work harder. … You can think whatever you like about me, but I will not be bullied into voting for a gay man simply because I am gay.” 

Wood also gave several interviews to national and local conservative media outlets in addition to the The Daily Caller including the Wisconsin Reporter, Media Trackers, talk show host Vicki McKenna, and columnist Christian Schneider writing in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Lee’s campaign issued a news release Monday saying that Wood had been dismissed and the campaign staff was cooperating with the police. The release said the campaign learned Monday that “a deeply troubled volunteer misled police, news outlets and our own team in regards to events that he alleged.” Pocan's campaign had no immediate statement about the Wood case.

A Madison, WI news outlet published Monday that Woods' had also claimed that Pocan's husband had threatened him in a series of text messages that were later published by the conservative Media Trackers website:

[...] A conservative website, Media Trackers, reported early Monday that Frank had sent a series of abusive and threatening text messages to Wood in the days leading up to the attack. Author Brian Sikma does not say what steps he took to verify the text messages or what number they were sent from.

[...] Pocan's campaign manager, Dan McNally, denied the allegations in an email statement: "These allegations are completely false. These text messages are fabricated and we've referred this matter to Madison police. We are currently in discussions with an attorney and intend to sue for libel or defamation."

[...] Frank's lawyer, Tamara Packard, also denied Frank had anything to do with the text messages or attack. Asked if her client is going to sue, she said: "We're considering all of our options."

Late Monday afternoon, Media Trackers removed the bulk of its original story, including the alleged texts between Frank and Wood. Originally headlined "Mark Pocan's Husband Told Beaten GOP Operative 'You're A Marked Man,' Threatened and Harassed Via Text Message," it now reads "Allegations Fly in Beating of Gay GOP Volunteer."

When pressed by reporters about why Wood had made the alleged false report and then walked his story back, Madison PD Captain Balles said he did not want to disclose details. When asked if Wood also recanted his allegations about receiving text messages from Frank, Balles paused before saying, "Those did not occur. I'm not going to get into the specifics of how we know that." Balles did indicate that the details would be forthcoming and stressed that was critical that police officials fully investigate the allegations because of the political aspects of the case. 

Balles said that investigators would finish in a few days and then take the case to the Dane County District Attorney's Office to discuss possible charges.

In its official report of the incident, the Madison Police Department wrote:

In an interview this afternoon with Madison Police detectives, the victim in this case recanted his earlier statements in regards to this crime. This crime, alleged to have occurred on High Street in the South Police District, will be cleared as "Unfounded" for case reporting purposes. 

Once follow up investigation is completed, MPD's case file will be reviewed with Dane County District Attorney's Office.

Madison Police records show that in 2008, Wood was arrested for threatening his former boyfriend with a butcher knife. After he pleaded no contest, the charge was lowered to a non-criminal forfeiture for disorderly conduct, and paid a $275 fine.