Update: Gay GOP Campaign Volunteer Recants Alleged Hate Crime Attack Story

On Friday, TheBlaze reported about the shocking allegations that a Republican campaign volunteer was beaten and hospitalized in an alleged anti-gay attack at his home. Now, just days later, Kyle Wood, the man at the center of the drama, has reportedly retracted his story, claiming that the attack did not unfold as he originally claimed in widespread media interviews.

Originally, the openly-gay Republican claimed that his sexuality was the basis for the violent attack -- and that anti-gay messaging were painted on his car in a separate incident the week before. Wood detailed the purported assault, which he said landed him in the hospital, in an interview with conservative news outlet The Daily Caller.

“I was getting ready for work and there was a knock at the door,” Wood said in an e-mail interview. “I opened it, and a guy wrapped a ligature around my neck, slammed my head into the doorway, and smashed my face into a mirror, telling me ‘You should have kept your [f**king] mouth shut.’”

The alleged injuries Kyle Wood claims to have received (Photo Credit: The Daily Caller)

According to Wood, the violence didn’t end there. The assailant apparently continued beating him, while claiming that the victim was previously “warned” (we’ll come back to that in a moment); the attacker also “kidney-punched” him.

However, on Monday, his story to police was apparently radically different. An incident report that was updated to reflect Wood's most recent statements about the matter reads:

In an interview this afternoon with Madison Police detectives, the victim in this case recanted his earlier statements in regards to this crime. This crime, alleged to have occurred on High Street in the South Police District, will be cleared as "Unfounded" for case reporting purposes. Once follow up investigation is completed, MPD's case file will be reviewed with Dane County District Attorney's Office.

According to The Huffington Post, Wood has not yet spoken publicly following his meeting with police on Monday. Madison Police Capt. Joe Balles did say, in the wake of the new revelations, that Wood could face prosecution for falsely reporting a hate crime. Despite this potential development, the police also noted that they do not wish to take actions that would dissuade others from reporting legitimate crimes.

"We're in the victims business. We really need victims to come forward," Balles said in an interview with The Daily Page. "We don't take matters like this lightly."

Perhaps most troubling is the image of the supposed injuries that Wood submitted to The Daily Caller. TheBlaze shared this picture as well in our first news report about the incident (it can be viewed above). If the scenario, as originally stated, isn't accurate, one wonders how these injuries were sustained.

Wood was a volunteer with Wisconsin Republican Chad Lee’s House campaign. Lee's campaign released a statement explaining that "a deeply troubled volunteer misled police, news outlets and our own team in regards to events that he alleged."

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Related:

• ‘Republican F**got!’: GOP Campaign Worker Beaten, Hospitalized After Alleged Anti-Gay Attack