“I Fucked Up”: Retired Arizona Prison Guard and GOP Candidate Allegedly Caught Masturbating Near Preschool
by Jo Ellen Nott
A 27-year veteran prison guard retired from the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) suspended his run for the Maricopa Community College District Governing Board on October 20, 2022, after he was cited for public sexual indecency while parked in a lot in broad daylight close to a preschool children were playing.
Randy Gene Kaufman, the GOP candidate for a seat on the Board, previously said in social media campaign posts that he was running in part to protect children from “the progressive left.” Those posts were deleted after he was approached by a Maricopa County Community Colleges police officer on the afternoon of October 4, 2022, on the campus of a lifelong learning center in Surprise.
The cop was reportedly alarmed to find Kaufman with pants at mid-thigh exposing his erection and “manipulating his genitals in a masturbatory manor [sic]” while watching something on his cellphone. Discussing the incident then, Kaufman dropped the name of the officer’s boss and offered that he “didn’t notice” the proximity of the childcare center.
“Don’t you see how alarming that is?” the cop reportedly replied. “That there are children nearby, people passing on bikes and in cars where they can see what you are doing?”
Kaufman’s response: “I fucked up. I’m really stressed.”
One source of that stress apparently was running for a seat on the Board against Democratic challenger Kelli Butler. Though Kaufman supposedly suspended his campaign, Butler remains dubious, noting that ballots have already been distributed and early voting has begun. Kaufman responded by promising to take steps to make sure votes for him do not count, but Butler says he has not done so.
Ballotpedia confirms that Kaufman has unofficially withdrawn his candidacy but will continue to appear on the ballot. As of October 29, 2022, Kaufman had not withdrawn from the race with county recorder’s office. Meanwhile the state GOP was still sharing its so-called “Golden Ticket” on social media at the end of October, promoting Kaufman along with other Republican candidates in other races. But the state party reportedly supported his decision to suspend his campaign.
Sources: Arizona Republic, Associated Press, Ballotpedia, KPHO, KTVK, Vice
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