A woman who said she was trying to "help the case" by claiming she was sexually assaulted by an Oklahoma City police officer accused of rape has only served to hurt herself.
An Oklahoma County judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of Shaneice Barksdale on a complaint of false reporting of a crime.
Police say the woman initially told them that she had been stopped by former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw in northwest Oklahoma City, and that he had fondled her breasts and genitals during the traffic stop.
Holtzclaw is accused of assaulting at least 9 other women while on duty as an OKCPD officer. Prosecutors say most of the women involved had outstanding warrants or were drug offenders unlikely to report a sexual assault. However, he is accused of assaulting a woman with no record and no reason to fear reporting him. After that woman reported the assault, others came forward--including Barksdale.
However, during the course of the investigation into the allegations against Holtzclaw, police determined that Holtzclaw was not in the area where Barksdale said she was assaulted on the date she claims the assault took place. Additionally, they say her description of the officer did not match Holtzclaw.
They say that, upon questioning, the woman admitted that she had never been in contact with Holtzclaw, and that she made up the false sexual assault claim in order to support the case against him. Instead, the false allegations simply discredit her and call the other allegations into question.
Now, instead of helping the case against the ex-officer, she has her own pending criminal case.
False reporting of a crime is a misdemeanor in most situations. Under 21 O.S. � 589, it is a crime to "willfully, knowingly and without probable cause make a false report to any person of any crime or circumstances indicating the possibility of crime having been committed, including the unlawful taking of personal property, which report causes or encourages the exercise of police action or investigation." The maximum penalty for false reporting of a crime under these conditions is 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
If the false police report involves false claims of a child abduction or encourages an AMBER alert, the crime is a felony punishable by a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Former police officer Daniel Holtzclaw is charged with 36 criminal counts, including first degree rape, second degree rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure, and procuring lewd exhibition. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his trial is set for late October.
