WAYNESBORO, Va. -- Several days after Waynesboro police zipped their cruisers through city streets seeking a rape suspect, a 36-year-old woman admitted she sent authorities chasing a lie.
"It's completely fabricated," Waynesboro police spokesman Sgt. Kelly Walker said Thursday, referring to a story that made headlines on front pages and the evening news. "The whole thing is fabricated."
The call about a home invasion and assault came on the afternoon of Dec. 7. As officers raced through town, authorities transported the woman to Augusta Health in Fishersville.
Shreds of generalized information about the supposed suspect floated across scanner waves and through the police department, making their way into a police news release that included details about an escape vehicle and a description of the suspect. Police stopped a green 2002 Ford Explorer, questioned the passengers and released them. The 6-foot-tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed suspect seemingly vanished.
Police continued combing the city throughout the evening.
The woman who reported the assault came clean just before 10 a.m. Thursday, authorities said.
"We interviewed her three times and essentially had some concerns about the case," Walker said. "We brought some of those concerns to her in the second interview. She came in and basically leveled."
Authorities have not yet decided whether to file charges against her, Walker said.
"One of our concerns is it ratchets up community fear," he said. "That's why we put the man hours and time into it because we understand."
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