Michelle Chambers was 19 years old and living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when she pleaded guilty in 1993 to a misdemeanor for stabbing a pregnant woman with a kitchen knife.

Chambers said the woman was a friend at the time and remains a friend years later, after Chambers moved to California and pursued a career in local and state government.

But now, with Chambers running for a state Senate seat in South Los Angeles in a tight race against fellow Democrat Laura Richardson, decades-old allegations have resurfaced.

Chambers declined the Times’ request for an interview to discuss the allegations, but issued a written statement through his campaign. At the time, she was a single mother living in public housing and could not afford a lawyer to prove self-defense in a jury trial, the documents say. Mr Chambers argued that the ordeal was emblematic of flaws in the criminal justice system and reflected his current policy position on tough-on-crime legislation.

“I was assigned a public defender. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system is too often structured in such a way that people without means have no choice but to take plea deals offered by prosecutors. But that’s what happened to me,” Chambers wrote. “That’s one of the reasons I’m running for the state Senate: to make sure the criminal justice system works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by the Times, Chambers was arrested by the Harrisburg Police Department on October 14, 1993, on suspicion of aggravated assault. The victim, Rhonda Tobey, was taken to a local hospital for lacerations, which the complaint describes as “serious injuries.”

“These actions demonstrate extreme indifference to the value of human life,” the complaint says.

Toby was two months pregnant at the time. She declined to speak to a Times reporter by phone and said she would only answer questions about the incident by email. The written response she sent to the Times appears to have been forwarded to her as an email from Chambers’ campaign.

Toby’s response read: “Due to a misunderstanding between us, I began a physical altercation during which Michelle attempted to defend herself.” “I suffered minor injuries in the accident. Anyone who claims she ‘stabbed me’ is lying and does not understand what happened.”

Tobey wrote that he supported Ms. Chambers’ candidacy, saying, “I find it disgusting that people would try to use what happened between us 30 years ago to smear her in this way.”

Old Dauphin County District Atty. John F. Cherry said in a January 19, 1994 indictment that Chambers, then known as Michelle Lomax, “intentionally or knowingly used a deadly weapon to cause bodily injury to another person.” or attempted to cause it.”

The documents say Chambers used a kitchen knife to “stab the victim in the left side and right thigh,” citing a Pennsylvania felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

She signed a plea agreement on June 20, 1994, on a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, a Pennsylvania misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, but was later released after six months on grounds of good behavior. .

In 2002, Chambers also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges in a separate incident in Harrisburg. She wrote in a statement that the woman, who was in a “drug-induced haze”, confronted the family at the restaurant.

“When I tried to leave, she became aggressive and I defended myself and the children,” Chambers wrote. “The woman was arrested and jailed.”

As in the 1993 case, Chambers wrote that she did not have “access to the resources” to contest the charges.

Mr. Chambers moved to California in 2009 to pursue a career in public service. In 2019, she was elected to the Compton City Council, but resigned from the city council in 2022 to take a job with the California Department of Justice as director of external affairs.

She said she “fully complied with all Justice Department policies” in hiring, including background checks.

The state Department of Justice said in a statement that it requires “fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background checks on all individuals prior to employment.” California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, the state’s top law enforcement official who oversees the department, has endorsed Chambers in the state Senate race. His political spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

California Senate candidate Michelle Chambers listens to Sen. LaFonza Butler’s (D-Calif.) speech at the Delegates Breakfast on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19, 2024. I’m recording.

(Yaronda M. James/Getty Images)

Chambers previously told the Times that he would not support Proposition 36, which would impose harsher penalties for certain retail theft and drug offenses, on the Nov. 5 ballot. She said she was concerned this would lead to more people being jailed.

The bill divided Democratic opinion. Richardson, Chambers’ opponent, said he supports Proposition 36.

Mr. Chambers and Mr. Richardson, both Democrats, have been criticizing each other in the run-up to the November general election.

Richardson is seeking a political comeback after losing re-election to the House of Representatives in 2012, when the House Ethics Committee found there was probable cause to believe her. misuse of government resources He illegally forced Congressional staff to campaign and obstructed investigations into the matter.

Ms Richardson said she accepted responsibility for the mistake and has since improved her management skills.