Indianapolis councilor Nick Roberts denies claims he groped 18-year-old woman against her will
An 18-year-old woman filed a report with Fishers police accusing City-County Council member Nick Roberts, 24, of grabbing her breasts and butt as she tried to pull away during a kiss on July 12 in downtown Fishers, according to allegations reported by Mirror Indy.
Roberts, who has not been charged with a crime, denied the allegations in a Facebook video posted July 29, saying he did "absolutely nothing wrong."
"I just wanted to completely deny the allegation of doing anything inappropriate," said Roberts, a Democrat. "Quite frankly, I'm not sure why this slanderous post was made about me, but it's incredibly hurtful not just to me but to my entire family and everyone who knows my character. I was raised to respect all people and I would never engage in unwanted physical contact with a woman without her consent."
The allegation against Roberts — lauded by the Indiana Democratic Party as the youngest councilor to win in any major American city after his election in 2023 at just 23 years old — is the latest in a series of sexual misconduct claims made against Democrats in city and state politics. Roberts represents District 4, comprising parts of Castleton and Geist in northeast Marion County.
Perhaps the most salient allegations are three women's accounts to IndyStar that Thomas Cook, a former top aide to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, pressured them into unwanted sexual encounters while dangling career growth before them as their superior. Two of the women have also criticized Hogsett himself for sending text messages that made them uncomfortable and allowing Cook to work as an unpaid adviser during a 2023 mayoral campaign despite his knowledge of past issues.
More recently, City-County Council member Keith Graves was accused of physical and sexual assault by a woman 30 years younger than him, according to an IndyStar investigation.
Council Democrats have promised to make reforms to the city's sexual harassment policies and reporting systems, including an overhaul of the human resources department and the creation of an inspector general to independently investigate alleged policy violations. Critics have said they doubt their intentions, however, after Council President Vop Osili ordered the forcible removal of one Cook accuser from a council meeting.
Indy politics: Joe Hogsett wants to move past harassment scandal. Many aren't sure he can
The accounts from Roberts and the woman, whom Mirror Indy did not name because she claims she's a victim of sexual assault, are aligned in some respects. But what differs starkly is their interpretation of a kiss during a second date.
The two agreed to meet for brunch on July 5 after they matched on the dating app Hinge, Roberts said. Both say the first date went well, according to her text messages and comments to Mirror Indy.
As they prepared to leave, Roberts hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She later texted Roberts to say she "had a really good time" and "especially appreciate[d] the kiss on the cheek," according to Roberts.
Roberts responded that she could get another "(and maybe more)" next time, by which he says he meant a kiss on the lips. Although the woman told Mirror Indy the remark made her uncomfortable, she responded, "I hope so, I'd like that :)" — meaning another kiss on the cheek.
The two met in downtown Fishers a week later, on July 12, for ice cream and an evening stroll along the Nickel Plate Trail. During that walk, Roberts admits that he kissed her on the lips for a few seconds.
The woman claims that Roberts pulled her off onto a side trail, where he began kissing and groping her while she pushed him away and told him to stop. He eventually loosened his grip, she said, apparently because someone walked by along the main trail.
Roberts denies her account of those events, he said. He told Mirror Indy that the pair walked onto a side trail and kissed for a few seconds. He claims only to have put his hands on her hips.
"While on our walk, because of those text messages, I kissed her on the lips for a few seconds," he said in a written statement reviewed by IndyStar. "During the kiss, she did not push me away or ask me to stop. If she had done either, I would have stopped immediately. We then walked for approximately another 30 minutes, and we had a conversation with nothing out of the ordinary."
While Roberts described the following moments as unremarkable, the woman told Mirror Indy she was visibly shaken afterward. When they arrived back at their cars, Roberts said, "she leaned in so I could give her a kiss on her cheek and we said goodnight."
The woman decided to file a police report soon after the date. Fishers police told Mirror Indy that the investigation is ongoing and refused to comment further.
Roberts said he's cooperating fully with the police investigation and will continue to focus on his work as a councilor.
"I have faith in the process and believe the facts will prove my innocence," Roberts said in the Facebook video, "and I remain committed toward working for our council district in the meanwhile."
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