Randy Kaufman—a Republican candidate for the Maricopa County Community College Governing Board—was arrested on a charge of public sexual indecency after he was allegedly caught masturbing outside a preschool while children were playing.
According to the official police report by the Maricopa County Community College Police, an officer saw Kaufman masturbating in his pickup truck in the parking lot of the community college district's Rio Salado Lifelong Learning Center in Surprise, Arizona.
The report notes Kaufman was looking at content on his cellphone with his pants down:
“[Kaufman] appeared to be looking at a cell phone in one hand."
"I immediately became alarmed as I saw [Kaufman] had his pants down mid-thigh and was exposed showing his fully erect nude penis."
"[Kaufman] was manipulating his genitals in a masturbatory manner.”
The arresting officer said Kaufman was in view of a nearby bicyclist and a preschool where children were playing outside.
You can watch news coverage of the incident below.
Maricopa College Board candidate arrested for alleged sexual indecencywww.youtube.com
When caught, Kaufman apologized, telling the officer:
"I f**ked up. I'm really stressed."
He claimed he did not know there was a preschool nearby at the time he chose to masturbate in public.
Kaufman's arrest is particularly noteworthy because he has written social media posts claiming he wants “our children protected [from] the progressive left.”
Many have condemned Kaufman's actions and pointed out his hypocrisy.
\u201cA MAGA lunatic Republican College Board candidate named Randy Gene Kaufman who is known for saying he wants to protect children in the US from Democrats has been arrested after being caught masturbating across the street from a preschool in Arizona. Lock him TF up.\u201d— Ricky Davila (@Ricky Davila) 1666210669
\u201cRandy Kaufman said he wanted to protect the children of Arizona \u201cfrom the progressive left\u201d. What a creep.\u201d— Savannah Jackson (@Savannah Jackson) 1666205707
\u201cI legit have lost count of how many GOP elected members & candidates have been caught doing the worst possible things to children. Makes me sick to my stomach. Notice how we never hear those stories about Democrats?\n#VoteBlueToSaveAmerica \n#DemVoice1 #wtpBLUE\u201d— Sarah \u2022 RoeRoeRoeYourVote!! SlavaUkraine\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Sarah \u2022 RoeRoeRoeYourVote!! SlavaUkraine\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1666215097
\u201cProtecting the Children by Masturbating outside a school\u2026stay Classy @GOP!\u201d— \ud83d\udc3e Dark Puppy \ud83d\udc3e (@\ud83d\udc3e Dark Puppy \ud83d\udc3e) 1666215432
\u201cThis IS the Republican Party.\nDon\u2019t listen to ANYTHING they say - watch what the DO.\n\nIn this case don\u2019t actually \u201cwatch\u201d \ud83d\ude23 but you know what I mean.\n#StopVotingForRepublicans\u201d— Kelly Nugent (@Kelly Nugent) 1666219286
\u201cNot surprising anymore. It\u2019s all projection.\u201d— Thom (@Thom) 1666221113
\u201cMAGA Republican suspends his campaign saying he \u201cwill never stop fighting to protect...the values that make America the greatest country in the world.\u201d\n\nThose "values" got him arrested earlier this month after being caught masturbating in a truck near a preschool. \n#GOPHypocrisy\u201d— Edge (@Edge) 1666225828
\u201cThe @GOP is full of pedophiles. Stop voting for them. Come on y\u2019all.\u201d— wrenny (@wrenny) 1666233856
\u201cMore in the never ending parade of dirtbag @GOP sex criminals\u201d— WesternFlyer (@WesternFlyer) 1666241664
Though at the moment facing a single charge of sexual indecency, Kaufman could face felony charges in short order because of his proximity to the preschool at the time of his arrest. Shortly after his arrest, he announced he was suspending his campaign for the governing board due to a "personal legal matter."
In an official statement, Kaufman said he is "sincerely grateful for the supporters and friends I have gathered throughout the campaign" and vowed to "never stop fighting to protect the United States Constitution and the values that make America the greatest country in the world."
Though Kaufman suspended his campaign, it is apparently too late to remove his name from official ballots, according to the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, and some people have already participated in early voting.
The Maricopa County Elections Department has not received an official Statement of Withdrawal from Kaufman, which needs to be signed and notarized. A department spokeswoman confirmed that even if he did file the paperwork, it would be too late to remove his name from the ballot.
