Authorities: Wyoming woman apologizes for false rape claim
LANDER -- Fremont County authorities say a 25-year-old Casper woman admitted to lying about a rape claim in order to get out of a drunk-driving charge.
The Fremont County sheriff's office says Helen Witt came clean after investigators couldn't make her story from last summer match up.
Witt originally told law enforcement she was raped by two men on the Fourth of July in Boysen State Park. She said the two men drug her from her car and sexually assaulted her on a dirt road near the Cottonwood Bay area of the park.
She also claimed that her attackers ran her over with their white Cadillac Escalade, and she only escaped because she was able to hitch a ride with a passing motorist.
In addition to drunk driving, Witt was originally charged with driving on a suspended license and reckless driving.
The sheriff's office said the driving on a suspended license charge stuck, even though charges for drunk and reckless driving were dismissed. Witt has now been charged with filing a false report.
Authorities say Witt has apologized for filing the false report.
Investigators spent hours on the case involving several agencies in addition to the sheriff's office: the Boysen State Park Rangers, the Fremont County Ambulance Service and the Fremont County attorney’s office.
Link: http://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_ec613592-c823-5062-9da0-470485588be0.html
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15 comments:
That is about the most you will ever see done about a false rape claim in the united states.
Oooooppppps sorry about that!
If a guy goes to prison or kills himself or looses everything he has as a result.......oooopppss sorry about that!
She apologized? Well, I guess that makes it all better; just ask the boys down at the Innocence Project.
Since the cops and DA know she lied, why haven't the drunk driving and reckless driving charges been reinstated? It looks to me like her lie worked, a "filing a false report" charge is trivial compared to what a drunk-driving charge costs her.
We'll never see a major crackdown on false rape accusers until there is a massive shift in American society. These prosecutors can't afford to call attention to the fact that literally thousands of innocent men are rotting in prison, having been falsely convicted of rape.
Anon above me.
I agree that is a lot of the problem.
In the united states the vast majority of people do not care at all what happens to Men.
It's all part of the well planned war on men.
@Archivist
I have to ask how do you manage to keep posting this sort of story without being burned out after 2 or 3? I'd probably give up for fear of going mental.
I don't know how you do it, but congratulations on being so determined.
Oh my, I guess she's a part of that "2% false accusations" lie.
randian - "It looks to me like her lie worked, a "filing a false report" charge is trivial compared to what a drunk-driving charge costs her."
This is a very good point. The False reporting charge is a misdemeanor, usually resulting in community service; whereas a DUI will cost a person thousands of dollars. She got off easy.
But, it's hardly unusual to make plea bargains to lesser charges so as to avoid the time and expense of trial. Still, this one points out the need for tougher laws for false reporting (of rape and sexual assault, especially).
And, the laws also need to allow for restitution to attach with conviction in the criminal court. Even in cases of vehicle property damages in case of accidents, if the party at fault is convicted of of a moving vehicle offense, it is now merely a matter of procedure for the prosecutor to ask that restitution for damages be included as a part of the penalty.
FRA's can cause (financial) damages not only to LE, but also to those who are falsely accused. As it now stands, they are referred to civil court if they wish for restitution. The law should make it possible for restitution to be ordered with their conviction on the criminal charges of FRA.
We often wish to see those who make FRA jailed as their victims would have been. But, often, the better thing to do would be to make them pay financially (by court order).
Judges are often reluctant to give appropriately stiff sentences to women who come crying and declaring how very sorry they are. But, judges are less swayed from imposing fines. Thus, it's likely that they would also not be dissuaded from imposing restitution.
Once word started getting around that women were getting their wages and tax returns garnished to pay back the innocent victims of their crimes, others might just think twice before deciding the an FRA is a handy-dandy, risk free tool to use at their convenience.
False rape accusers will think twice? Not likely. Not unless they're facing long prison sentences.
These are people who #1/ think they'll get away with it because they're so clever and #2/ who have every reason to think they can get away with it, because our system is so lame.
You know, here at FRS we talk a lot about male celebrities who are falsely accused of rape (or at least have very dubious abuse accsations hurled at them).
These celebrities -- such as David Copperfield -- need to put their money where their mouths are and begin funding men's rights and pro-civil liberties groups. They have the resources to do something about this problem; they need to use them.
A coalition of falsely accused men could make an enormous difference.
Anonymous said...
You know, here at FRS we talk a lot about male celebrities who are falsely accused of rape (or at least have very dubious abuse accsations hurled at them).
These celebrities -- such as David Copperfield -- need to put their money where their mouths are and begin funding men's rights and pro-civil liberties groups. They have the resources to do something about this problem; they need to use them.
A coalition of falsely accused men could make an enormous difference.
Apr 27, 2010 10:12:00 PM
I often wonder this myself - WHERE are all the falsely accused?
Where are the Duke LaCrosse guys? The Hofstra guys? The 200 exonerations by DNA guys?
I think the MSM just will not even cover anything these falsely accused guys would have to say.
In some cases, they're scared. And I don't blame them.
Many of them are thankful just to be alive, and breathing fresh air.
'These celebrities -- such as David Copperfield -- need to put their money where their mouths are and begin funding men's rights and pro-civil liberties groups. They have the resources to do something about this problem; they need to use them.'
Although not celebrities, when this is over for us, we WILL be out there IN the PUBLIC educating people about false claims.
After this is over, we WILL sue EVERYONE and WILL WIN!
I for one, will not sit back and do nothing as other men and families go through what we have gone through.
It will be our mission for the rest of our lives.
I am not signing because I know LE is probably aware of my 'handle' by now. However, that would mean they actually investigate which is highly unlikely.
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