Pasadena Councilman Is Accused of Sexual Assault, Using Cocaine : Allegations: A former neighbor tells police that Isaac Richard forcibly kissed and fondled her, but declines to press charges. The controversial official disputes her account.

In the latest of a series of charges and high-profile public disputes, flamboyant Pasadena City Councilman Isaac Richard has been accused by an unidentified woman of sexual assault and cocaine use.

According to a police crime report released Tuesday by the Pasadena city attorney, a woman seeking police assistance Sunday near Richard’s home on Forest Avenue charged that the councilman had forcibly kissed her and fondled her breasts shortly after he used cocaine.

But the woman, a former neighbor who has known Richard for more than 10 years, subsequently told police she did not want to press charges.

Richard would not comment on the allegations, which have been turned over to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for possible prosecution, except to say: “It didn’t happen that way.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol Rash said Wednesday that she had received the police report and was investigating the allegations.

Terrence Bennett, Richard’s lawyer, said there seemed to be little basis for prosecuting the councilman. The police report, Bennett said, “reflects a situation where there was some embracing, and the woman did not wish to continue. She was let go and she freaked out and ran out the door.”

But Bennett said he had discussed with his client possible treatment for a “chemical imbalance.”

“I’m concerned about his mental health,” the lawyer said. “He tells me he has a chemical imbalance; that it has been diagnosed and there may be a need for medical treatment.”

During his two years on the council, Richard, 35, has been a source of controversy, lashing out at others in the cause of bringing more city resources to his constituents in Northwest Pasadena, many of whom have low incomes.

The dapper Richard, an investment banker for an Orange County firm, has accused council colleagues of being racists. When some council members supported an investigation of the city’s black police chief on charges that he had abused his wife, Richard said they were conducting a “lynching” and “a coon hunt.”

Richard is also known for his eloquent scorn, intimidating conservative political opponents with slashing humor. He once contemptuously described city government as “a hospital for incompetents. . . . They collect there like lint in a dryer.”

Last year, Richard was arrested in Pasadena for allegedly brandishing a handgun at some teen-agers, but charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Shortly before that incident, a majority of his council colleagues censured Richard after he made threatening remarks and cursed city Housing Administrator Phyllis Mueller after a heated debate in the council chambers.

Richard apologized to Mueller. And he admitted that he often found it difficult to control his rage.

“The same fire burns in my heart” as in those who protested during the Los Angeles riots last year, he said.

According to the police report, Richard brought the unidentified woman to his home on Sunday because she wanted to use his computer to work on a job proposal. Richard’s wife, Sharon, was in Europe and his 3-month-old son was with relatives in Sacramento.

The woman told police that Richard used cocaine and then “began fondling her breasts and kissing her on the mouth and neck.” When the woman screamed, Richard released her from his grasp, the report said.

After flinging a $20 bill that Richard had given her onto the floor, the report said, the woman left Richard’s house and began knocking on neighbors’ doors.

“The victim knows that (Richard) has guns inside of his house,” the report said, “and, due to his violent behavior, she now thought he wanted to kill her.”

As the woman ran from door to door, Richard pleaded with her to stop, the report said. “He told her that this could ruin his family and professional life,” the report said.

A neighbor summoned police.

Bennett said there were inconsistencies in the police account, including the victim’s assertion at one point that Richard smoked cocaine and, at another point, that he had “snorted” lines of cocaine from a plate.

Several council members expressed concern for Richard. Bennett said that Richard had been depressed when he spoke to him. During the council’s meeting Tuesday, Mayor Rick Cole called for a moment of silence “as we gather our strength to continue to do the people’s business in public at a time of great challenge.”

“It’s been clear for a long time that Isaac was deeply troubled,” Cole said in an interview. “Now, frankly, it has escalated to the point where all of us are concerned about the future.”