Woman Won’t Testify Against Lawmaker

The teenager who said she had sex with Rep. Mel Reynolds while underage, then said she didn’t, refused to testify against him Thursday despite an offer of immunity, and a judge angrily sent her back to jail.

Beverly Heard, 19, widened her eyes, wiped her face and shivered as Circuit Judge Fred G. Suria and prosecutor Andrea Zopp scolded her for refusing to confirm either the accusation that opened the case, or her recantation back in January.

The former Reynolds campaign worker has been in jail for more than a week for repeatedly invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the witness stand.