Local media reports fourth allegation of misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh, but police dispute the claim

Brett Kavanaugh.
(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Investigators in Montgomery County, Maryland, are looking into another allegation of sexual assault related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, The Sentinel reported Monday.

Officials declined to provide many details about the allegations, which are from an anonymous witness, but said they stem from Kavanaugh's senior year in high school. The investigation means that there are potentially four women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct: Christine Blasey Ford, who says Kavanaugh forcibly groped her when they were in high school; Deborah Ramirez, who says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her while they were in college at Yale University; an anonymous woman who is working with attorney Michael Avenatti; and the anonymous witness who came forward to Montgomery County officials this weekend. Kavanaugh has denied any wrongdoing, and has called allegations against him a political "smear."

Investigators additionally told The Sentinel that they are interested in books written by Mark Judge, Kavanaugh's high school friend who was allegedly present during the attack Ford says she experienced. Judge's books describe a culture of heavy drinking while he and Kavanaugh attended Georgetown Preparatory School and allude to Kavanaugh's behavior at the time.

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While The Sentinel reports that it is unclear whether the most recent investigation involves the same witness described by Avenatti, the attorney on Monday said it was "not the same woman I represent." Read more at The Sentinel. Summer Meza

Update 12:30 p.m. ET: Montgomery County police disputed The Sentinel's report, telling the Washington Examiner that police are not investigating any new allegations. "I have spoken with my chief of detectives, and neither of us have any knowledge of anyone coming forward to us to report any allegations involving Judge Kavanaugh," said police chief J. Thomas Manger. The Examiner additionally notes that the original report did not identify "investigators" as police, though local police would ordinarily be the first ones to look into such a report.

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Summer Meza

Summer is news editor at TheWeek.com, and has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School and Santa Clara University, she now lives in New York with two cats.