Arizona lawmaker's sexual encounter in 2015 violated university conduct policies, records show

State Rep. Jevin Hodge violated sexual violence and sexual misconduct policies as a student at George Washington University almost a decade ago, records show.

Documents shared by his victim back up her allegations that Hodge, then 21, violated university conduct standards in 2015, when what started as a consensual encounter turned into unwelcome sexual contact.

The victim turned to the university’s Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities in early 2016, triggering a lengthy complaint process. When an attorney representing Hodge wrote a letter raising the possibility of a defamation lawsuit if she did not drop her complaint, the woman continued to press her case.

The hearing board found Hodge "in violation" of the allegations, resulting in a disciplinary suspension from the Washington, D.C.-based university that barred him from George Washington property, records show.

Hodge did not face any civil lawsuit or criminal charge in the matter. The woman said she declined to press charges despite an investigator contacting her, because at the time she was a lawful permanent resident and was worried a complaint might compromise her legal status in the U.S.

Hodge, 30, acknowledged the events in an interview with The Arizona Republic. But he described the encounter as consensual, despite the university's findings.

"When she said 'stop,' I stopped," he said. "There was zero aggression. There was nothing along those lines."

Hodge, a Democrat, was appointed to the state House of Representatives in late January to fill a vacancy in District 8, which encompasses much of Tempe.

“I don’t have anything to gain from this,” said the woman, now a 28-year-old resident of Boston. She said she had no ties to Hodge or to George Washington University — she was a Boston College student at the time.

“I didn’t want this to happen to anyone else,” she said, referring to Hodge's attempts to have sex despite her repeated objections. “And I don’t trust this person in a position of power.”

She contacted The Republic in late January after she learned from Google searches that Hodge was a nominee for a legislative vacancy.It took several weeks to obtain university documents that corroborated her complaint.

The Republic is not naming his accuser, following a policy that victims' names are not disclosed without their consent.

University hearing board report details an escalating encounter

Documents that corroborated her complaint were filed with George Washington University’s Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities. Although the student records redact the names of the parties involved, related documents provided by the victim include Hodge's name and make it clear he was the accused.

The allegations stemmed from the events of one night in Washington, D.C., in October 2015.

The woman, then a student at Boston College, was in D.C. as an intern with a program called the New American Leaders Project. She was helping staff a training session hosted by the nonprofit.

After the program wrapped up, she said she and a friend were invited to go out with two men who were at the event: Hodge and his friend.

The four went to a bar, where the woman was denied entry because she presented a fake ID, she told university investigators. She decided to return to her hotel, and Hodge suggested he accompany her, leaving the other two members of their party behind.

The George Washington University hearing board’s report detailed what followed after the woman and Hodge left the D.C. bar:

Although she declined Hodge's suggestion that he go with her to her hotel, she accepted his invitation to go to his apartment. There, they watched television for a time with Hodge’s roommate and she did two shots of vodka.

They then went to Hodge’s bedroom, where they started kissing. But when Hodge started “to pull up her dress” and ask for sex, the report stated she said no. She also rejected his request for oral sex. He placed her hand on his genitals to display his erection, and “then stated he would like to have sex with her while sticking her head out of a window.” She declined.

He “then grabbed her, pulled her hair as he pulled her towards the window of the room, and bent her over towards the window, while stating that he knew that (she) wanted to have sex in that manner,” the report stated. The woman continued to tell him no. She told investigators he never penetrated her with his penis, and she was able to escape his grip.

She called for an Uber to take her back to her hotel and Hodge insisted on walking her down to the sidewalk.

In November 2016, a GWU hearing board found Hodge, based on the preponderance of the evidence presented, “in violation” of provisions of the university's student code of conduct that bar sexual violence and sexual misconduct. The three-member board recommended expulsion.

An email from the director of Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities to the woman indicated Hodge instead had been suspended and barred from university grounds.

By that time, Hodge said he was back in Arizona, working on his master's degree from George Washington through an online program. The suspension was for one semester. He had earned his bachelor's degree from the university in May 2016, a month after its student conduct office received the woman's official complaint.

Hodge said he did not appeal the board's decision because there was not an opportunity to do so.

The university's student code of conduct at that time allowed for appeals as long as they brought up new information. But Hodge said he couldn't meet the five-day window to do so, given distractions due to family matters.

Hodge: Complaint is 'categorically false'

Hodge told university investigators at the time that the woman's account of what had happened between them was exaggerated.

"Each and every allegation against me is categorically false, raised out of malice, are defamatory, and violate my rights, including my rights as a student, as a member of public at large and as a member of a protected class as defined in the Civil Rights Act of 1964," Hodge wrote in a statement to the university's Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities.

He denied he tried to assault the woman, including her statements about bending her over and trying to put her head out a window. When she rejected his requests for more sexual interactions, he told investigators he stopped.

The university report concluded that by continuing to push for sexual interactions despite the woman’s statements she did not want to do so, Hodge’s actions amounted to sexual violence.

The report also concluded those acts “constitute a coercive attempt” by Hodge and were sexual misconduct.

Nearly nine years later, Hodge's tone is more conciliatory than his 2016 statement to the hearing board.

"When I was a 21-year-old college student, I had a consensual romantic encounter with another student," he wrote in a statement to The Republic. "We both had consumed alcohol and we remained clothed the entire time.

"I knew then as I know now that consent is non-negotiable, so when she made it clear she was not interested in continuing, we stopped," he wrote. "She called a taxi and I walked her out.

"Months later, I learned that she accused me of sexual misconduct. I take responsibility for all my actions and have used this experience to grow as an adult, but I must be clear: I unequivocally deny the allegations made against me.

"I believe in taking responsibility for my actions. During the University hearing on this matter, I could see that I caused her emotional pain. I am sincerely sorry for the distress that I caused her."

Hodge said he has had no communication with the woman since 2015 and believed she would not want any kind of contact.

A threat of a defamation lawsuit

One of the documents provided by the victim came from the attorney Hodge had contacted about a possible defamation suit against his accuser.

Attorney Sheridan England, in a June 2, 2016, letter noted that Hodge’s accuser “has nothing to gain from this. Mr. Hodge has nothing to lose.”

His letter was directed at the attorney at the Network for Victim Recovery in Washington, D.C., who represented the woman in the university disciplinary proceeding. England wrote he wanted to make it clear that his client would pursue court action if she went ahead with the university complaint.

“I am aware that there are witnesses who observed (her) behaviors as she illegally tried to enter the bar, while out on the town in D.C. and at Mr. Hodges’ apartment. In district court, my client will have substantial evidence to present from multiple witnesses; (she) will not,” England wrote.

The woman said Hodge's attorney wanted her to sign a nondisclosure agreement in exchange for dropping the threat of a defamation suit.

Neither the agreement nor the lawsuit materialized and the woman continued to pursue her complaint with the university.

Hodge said Friday he was preoccupied with family matters, among them his mother's struggle with major heart issues.

"I decided not to pursue any legal action anywhere, primarily against the university," he said. "I wanted this to be over, I wanted to focus on my family, I wanted to focus on everything else. I couldn't emotionally handle anything else happening at that time."

An attempted warning to national Democrats

The woman said she became aware of Hodge’s potential legislative appointment through a friend involved in political circles.

It wasn’t the first time she had become aware of Hodge’s political interest. She said she would occasionally Google him and discovered he was a congressional candidate in 2022.

She said a friend she knows from her work called the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in early 2023 to notify them of Hodge's past. That prompted a call from a DCCC staffer to hear her story.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember their name but it's important for me to note that they believed me and reassured me that they did," she wrote in an email to The Republic.

It is unknown what, if anything, the federal Democratic campaign organization did about that call. Organization officials did not return requests for comment.

By that time, Hodge was mulling another congressional run after narrowly losing to incumbent U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz. In late March 2023, Hodge announced he would not run again, citing the emotional and financial strain of running for office.

Hodge said he was not discouraged from running again, and no one raised the George Washington hearing board's findings to him.

"The decision to not run for office was because I couldn't afford it," he said. "I didn't have the savings."

In 2020, Hodge was the Democratic nominee for a seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He lost to Republican Jack Sellers by 403 votes in a race that was not decided until 10 days after the election.

Convicted: Former Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete found guilty of sexual conduct with a minor

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Rep. Jevin Hodge: Sexual violence findings from college days