Mayor Ted Wheeler calls for review in hit-and-run case that falsely implicated Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty

Oregonian

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Friday called for an independent review of the events surrounding a report to police that mistakenly identified Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty as a driver in a minor hit-and-run crash.

Wheeler said he’s working with Hardesty, Portland’s city attorney and police chief “to create a thorough, independent review of the facts and actions surrounding the incident.”

He said he asked Police Chief Chuck Lovell “to expedite collection of all relevant information and to ensure that every record related to the incident is preserved pending the completion of an independent review.”

“What happened to Commissioner Hardesty is wrong and unacceptable,” Wheeler said in a statement Friday evening. “It’s a reflection of broader systemic racism and it must be addressed. We need to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. No one should be subjected to false accusations publicly.”

Police said a driver told them that her car had been rear-ended in Southeast Portland on Wednesday afternoon and that the other car left the scene without exchanging information as required by law.

The rear-ended driver contacted police about the collision after returning home hours later. She identified Hardesty as the motorist who hit her while driving a tan, four-door sedan, according to a computer dispatch report. No injuries were reported.

Police on Thursday issued a statement that said Hardesty wasn’t a suspect in the case. They have since provided no further details on the incident.

Sgt. Kevin Allen, a police spokesperson, said Friday the bureau’s traffic investigation unit was still working to identify a suspect in the hit and run.

“Until they’re able to obtain probable cause and make an arrest,” he said, “it’s an active investigation and we can’t release those details.”

Hardesty, speaking at a news conference before police announced she wasn’t a suspect, called the allegations a “smear campaign” against her. She also said she was home at the time of the reported incident.

“I didn’t hit anybody. I wasn’t driving. Nobody drove my car. This entire allegation is totally false,” she said, speaking to media from her home by video. “I’m telling you today, these allegations are false, and to be frank, these allegations are suspicious.”

Hardesty on Thursday night publicly demanded an investigation “to the bottom of where this smear campaign originated.”

Wheeler said he will announce specifics about the review after working more with Hardesty, the city attorney and police bureau.

“We need to meet our toughest critics’ every test with a comprehensive, detailed and independent review,” Wheeler said. “I deeply regret what Commissioner Hardesty experienced and I’m determined to find out what happened and to prevent it from happening again,” he said.