'An assault' or 'a fairly light tap'? Former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward may face prosecution

Former state GOP Party Chair Kelli Ward denies she committed an assault at the party's annual meeting in January, but did tell a law enforcement officer she "tapped" a woman with a piece of paper, a police report states.

Ward, who is also under investigation for her role in falsely claiming she was an elector for Donald Trump after the 2020 election, could face prosecution over the incident, according to the report obtained by The Arizona Republic.

She told The Republic there was no "hitting" involved.

"Lots of liars out there," Ward said in a text on Monday. "Sadly inside the party. Not new. Just sad."

Phoenix police Officer James Jarvis wrote in the report that he observed a security video of the incident at Dream City Church and that "an assault did occur." He wrote that he planned to send the report to Phoenix city prosecutors for review.

The security video shows Ward "hit a woman in black with a yellow piece of paper," Jarvis wrote, adding that the hit to the woman's right shoulder "looked to be a fairly light tap."

The alleged victim, Laura Schafer, claims that Ward hit her with "two papers and her fist." Three witnesses backed up Shafer's version. They all said they had known Ward for years.

The allegation added flair to a lively meeting of hundreds of party officials that had already been destined for headlines following the sudden resignation of former Chair Jeff DeWit and the planned election of a new chair.

DeWit had followed Ward as chair in 2023. He was one year into his two-year term when U.S. Senate candidate and unsuccessful former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake leaked a tape she had made 10 months earlier of DeWit talking about a lucrative job offered by "powerful people" who wanted her to drop out of the Senate race.

Opinion: Kari Lake and Jeff DeWit set the Arizona GOP on self-destruct mode

Party officials ultimately elected election expert Gina Swoboda as the new chair.

But before the vote for chair, rumors flew on social media that police had contacted Ward over the alleged victim's complaint of an assault.

According to the report, Schafer told Jarvis and Officer Marcos Wilson that as Ward walked by her, she pointed out to her husband that Ward was "not even the chair anymore." That's when Ward turned and hit her, she told police.

Vera Gebran, a former candidate for the state Legislature who ran against DeWit for GOP chair last year, and Schafer's husband told the officers they were sitting next to Schafer and saw Ward hit her with a fist or "closed hand." Gebran told the officer she would testify against Ward. Another witness, Patricia Porter, said she saw Ward hit Schafer with a piece of paper "and her hand."

The Schafers could not be reached for this article. Their name is also spelled "Schaufer" in the report. Gebran and Porter didn't return a text or voice mail.

Jarvis read Ward her Miranda rights before interviewing her, according to the report.

Ward told the officer "a crazy lady started yelling at her" that she was no longer state GOP chair, and she responded she was "glad" about that. Then she "tapped" Shafer "on the shoulder with a paper," she told Jarvis.

Ward said no part of her hand or fist hit the woman and that she'd hit her with the paper "just to emphasize her point that she just don't care" and that "she was not assaulting her," the report states.

Jarvis wrote that he saw no injury on Schafer, nor did the woman allege she was injured. But Schafer does want Ward prosecuted, the report said. Jarvis noted that Heath Entrekin, the church's director of security, allowed Ward to stay and cast her vote, "but kept her in an isolated part of the church" away from Schafer.

Barton Fears, Phoenix Municipal Court's spokesperson and counsel, told The Republic that no court case has been filed as of Monday.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-AZ GOP Chair Kelli Ward denies 'hitting' woman at party meeting