GOP candidate denies battery accusation

Republican secretary of state candidate Rob Lauer maintains he did not batter Jennifer Von Tobel. He says he was showing the campaign supporter self-defense moves, at her request, at a campaign event June 4 when he is alleged to have injured Von Tobel, who has multiple sclerosis.

Lauer will now have to learn how to defend himself in court, as the Clark County District Attorney's office has charged him with misdemeanor battery.

Lauer has an Aug. 24 court date, and faces up to six months in jail if convicted.

A military policeman, Lauer had denied he deliberately harmed the 46-year-old member of one of the state's more prominent families, but police say a surveillance camera at Stoney's Bar on the Strip confirmed her account of events.

Lauer reportedly grabbed Von Tobel's arm and twisted it behind her back three times. She claims she did not give him permission to show her the martial arts move. She says she suffered a sprained wrist and a slight shoulder injury.

While she obtained a restraining order, Lauer filed his own police report, alleging Von Tobel grabbed him and put him in a headlock, and that she was drunk. Von Tobel denied the allegation, while several witnesses confirmed her presentation of the facts.

Lauer has been unable to produce a witness to corroborate his side of the story. Calls to his campaign were not returned Friday.