Former City Employee Accused of Assault, Mayor Responds

Source: Jon Cherry / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS — Following reports that a former employee of Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office sexually harassed and assaulted multiple female co-workers, Hogsett has responded.

The IndyStar published information Friday about its investigation into Thomas Cook, who once served as the Chief Deputy Mayor and worked on Hogsett campaigns. He was most recently employed by Bose McKinney & Evans LLC.

Multiple women have said that Cook used his former positions to “groom” them. The women told the IndyStar that they had been his subordinates, so they were worried about their careers.

But, Cook noted, “At no time did I seek to use my professional position to further those personal relationships.”

These “relationships” – which Cook argued were consensual – were the subjects of three investigations by the City. The mayor’s administration claimed that Cook was “reprimanded,” and eventually resigned.

Indianapolis City-County Councilman Brian Mowery stated, “It is beyond disappointing that the Hogsett administration has known about these allegations for years and failed to act in a serious manner.”

Hogsett later Tweeted, “I am grateful to the women who courageously brought this unacceptable behavior to our attention… This Administration has made continued efforts to improve the sexual harassment training and protocols available to support City employees.”

He continued, saying he and his team are “committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of every employee, and we will always seek ways to improve our policies and best practices.”

Story first reported by the IndyStar .

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