A former TV news anchor said Wednesday that Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted her teenage son last year at a Nantucket restaurant and that police are investigating.
Heather Unruh told reporters her son, who was 18 at the time, was “star struck” when he met the House of Cards actor at the Club Car Restaurant in July 2016. Unruh said Spacey bought her son “drink after drink” and then stuck his hand down the teen’s pants and grabbed his genitals.
Unruh said her son panicked and was unable to remove Spacey’s hand from his pants. Spacey ultimately left to use the bathroom and when he was out of sight, the teen ran away at the urging of a nearby woman who could tell he was shaken, Unruh said.
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Unruh’s son ran back to his grandmother’s house, woke up his sister and called his mother, who joined them in Nantucket the next day, she said.
Unruh said her son didn’t report the assault at the time because he was embarrassed. Her family decided to come forward now because the climate has changed after others have gone public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey and other celebrities, she said.
“To Kevin Spacey, I want to say this: Shame on you for what you did to my son,” Unruh said, flanked by her daughter and lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented hundreds of clergy sexual abuse victims.
A lawyer for Spacey didn’t immediately return an email on Wednesday.
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Unruh said the teen filed a report with police last week, and she said a criminal investigation has begun. She said her son has turned over evidence to authorities, but her lawyer said they could not elaborate on what he provided.
Nantucket Police Chief Bill Pittman said Massachusetts law doesn’t allow them to confirm or deny a report of sexual assault.
Garabedian said he is conducting his own investigation and did not say whether they intend to file civil action against Spacey.
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Unruh said her son, who is now in college, continues to struggle with the emotional effects of the encounter.
“Nothing could have prepared my son for how that sexual assault would make him feel as a man,” she said.
The alleged assault is the latest of mounting sexual misconduct allegations made against Spacey, which has caused Netflix to cut ties with the actor and suspend production on its sixth season indefinitely.
The company also scuttled its Gore Vidal biopic, with Spacey starring as the author.
READ MORE: ‘House of Cards’ halts production indefinitely following Kevin Spacey allegations
In a recent interview with BuzzFeed, actor Anthony Rapp said Spacey made sexual advances on him during a party in 1986, when he was 14. At the end of the night, an inebriated Spacey picked him up, placed him on his bed and climbed on top of him, Rapp said. Rapp said then-26-year-old Spacey was holding him down tightly, but he was able to get away and left the apartment.
Spacey has said he doesn’t remember the encounter but apologized if such “drunken behaviour” occurred.
Harry Dreyfuss, the son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, also has said that Spacey groped him in 2008 when he was 18 while his father was rehearsing a play at Spacey’s London apartment.
London police said have also said have begun investigating an alleged 2008 sexual assault reportedly linked to Spacey.