Report: Ex-GOP lawmaker fondled teenager at conservative event

A Washington Post report alleges former GOP Rep. Wes Goodman fondled an 18-year-old college student at a conservative group's event.

Goodman resigned from the state Legislature Wednesday after he was accused of "inappropriate behavior" in his office with a man.

On Oct. 18, 2015, Goodman reportedly unzipped the 18-year-old man's pants and fondled him in the middle of the night at an event for the Council for National Policy, according to the Post. The teenager's parents demanded action from the organization's head, Tony Perkins.

“Trust me . . . this will not be ignored nor swept aside,” replied Perkins, who also heads the Family Research Council, a prominent evangelical activist group, according to correspondence obtained by the Post. “It will be dealt with swiftly, but with prudence.”

Perkins privately asked Goodman to drop out and suspended him from the council, according to correspondence, but Goodman did not drop out. He went on to win the race.

From the Washington Post report:

In his written statement, the young man said he awoke in the middle of the night to find Goodman’s hand “pulling down my zipper.” His pants had been unbuttoned and his zipper was down. He darted from the room at about 4 a.m. “I was shaken, dazed, confused and very upset,” he wrote.

Ohio House Republicans' Chief of Staff Mike Dittoe told The Enquirer Friday that members of the House did not know about the alleged fondling, which occurred before Goodman joined the Legislature.

The Enquirer reached out to Goodman for comment.

Goodman, who represented a district in north central Ohio, touted himself as a strong Christian conservative who opposed abortion and Gov. John Kasich's Medicaid expansion. Goodman proposed the freeze on benefits for lower-income Ohioans on Medicaid. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan endorsed Goodman for his "character, experience and passion" to serve.

On his campaign website, which has since been removed, Goodman displayed photos of him and his wife and wrote about protecting family values.

"The ideals of a loving father and mother, a committed natural marriage, and a caring community are well worth pursuing and protecting," according to his site.