Yeah supposedly she was raped by a Hispanic man with a screwdriver
http://jonesborosun.com/story.php?ID=26246
http://jonesborosun.com/story.php?ID=26246
JONESBORO -- More than a week ago the alleged victim of a brutal rape filed a report with the Craighead County Sheriff's Department, leading authorities on an intensive search for the man she claimed was responsible for the violence.
She was in court herself Thursday after telling authorities it never happened.
Victoria L. Simonton, 21, 7248 Craighead Road 333, stood before District Judge Keith Blackman, who found probable cause to charge her with filing a false police report, a felony, and misdemeanor obstructing of a governmental operation after she admitted to investigators the incident never took place.
"She said that she turned in the report because she had been angry and hurt herself. She was afraid of being put away, so she made up the story to avoid that happening," said Sheriff Jack McCann, whose office pursued a phantom suspect around the clock for several days.
Simonton contacted the sheriff's office the afternoon of Feb. 14 to report the alleged sexual assault, telling Deputy Charles Leech that she was driving along CR 318 and saw the purported assailant standing in the middle of it, holding what appeared to be a baby wrapped in a cloth.
The accused rapist was never identified, though Simonton, who has worked for the Westside School District, provided a thorough description to authorities. She said her attacker was a Hispanic male in his early 30s, with dark hair, a thin build, dark hair and goatee wearing a dark blue toboggan, jeans, tan jacket and a dark shirt.
Simonton told investigators that the man flagged her down and that she invited him to drive her vehicle while she tended to the baby. When she moved to passenger side to assist with the child, he opened the cloth and uncovered a gun and a screwdriver, which he used to sexually assault her. The man took her into Greene County, Simonton said, on Greene 333 Road southwest of Lorado near Lake Frierson State Park.
The story raised red flags for investigators.
McCann said something appeared to be inconsistent with her story from the beginning, and those suspicions became more focused when he saw a copy of the doctor's report obtained from a local hospital, where Simonton went for treatment after the alleged rape occurred.
"The doctor's report had no indication whatsoever of injuries consistent with rape. That was a good indicator that something wasn't right," the sheriff offered.
As the investigation unfolded, McCann put Detective Ron Richardson at the helm of the case.
Richardson said he had asked Simonton on Wednesday afternoon if the attack had taken place. The woman maintained her previous account. The sheriff emphasized that he wanted Simonton to understand that she would face legal ramifications if she came forward and recanted the report.
"The principle is what matters here. You have situations where rapes are reported and turn out to be untrue, and you have others where someone is raped but doesn't report it because of publicity," McCann said.
At one point investigators considered administering a polygraph test on Simonton to determine whether they believed she was being truthful or not.
The department interviewed her three times, and then authorities spoke with a female friend.
Ultimately, the case hinged on Simonton and whether her story would remain unchanged or not, the sheriff added.
"There were a lot of things we had questions about," McCann said. "We had shown her a photo lineup that included someone we felt could be a possible suspect, and she didn't respond to any of them. It's a huge relief that she came forward. We spent a lot of time on this."
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