Two women charged in beating of Wisconsin state senator

MADISON, Wis. — Two women were arrested Monday in connection with an attack on a Wisconsin state senator last month, authorities said.

Samantha Rae Hamer, 26, of Madison, and Kerida E. O’Reilly, 33, of Wisconsin, were arrested on suspicion of being parties to the crimes of substantial battery and robbery with use of force on June 23 against state Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The two women turned themselves into police on Monday, the newspaper reported.

Hamer and O’Reilly were both in custody at the Dane County Jail, according to online records.

According to Carpenter, he was trying to take a picture of a group of protesters on the grounds of the state Capitol when he was attacked, WISC-TV reported. Carpenter also tweeted a video of two women running toward him and knocking the cellphone out of his hand.

Carpenter said he was punched and kicked in the head, neck and ribs, WKOW reported.

The alleged assault occurred on a night in Madison in which a Molotov cocktail was tossed into a government office and two statues on the Capitol grounds were toppled, the Journal Sentinel reported.

One statue was of abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg, who died during the Civil War. The other statue is named for the state’s motto, “Forward,” the newspaper reported.

The crowd remained in the area until the early hours of June 24, WKOW reported.

Paramedics treated Carpenter, who declined to go to a hospital for treatment, the Journal Sentinel reported. A week later, Carpenter said he had surgery in an area hospital for injuries he suffered during the attack, the newspaper reported.

Carpenter said he was punched and kicked in the head, neck and ribs, WKOW reported.

The alleged assault occurred on a night in Madison in which a Molotov cocktail was tossed into a government office and two statues on the Capitol grounds were toppled, the Journal Sentinel reported.

One statue was of abolitionist Col. Hans Christian Heg, who died during the Civil War. The other statue is named for the state’s motto, “Forward,” the newspaper reported.

The crowd remained in the area until the early hours of June 24, WKOW reported.

Paramedics treated Carpenter, who declined to go to a hospital for treatment, the Journal Sentinel reported. A week later, Carpenter said he had surgery in an area hospital for injuries he suffered during the attack, the newspaper reported.

Cox Media Group