A Bloomington Police Department investigation of an armed sexual assault that allegedly occurred Nov. 17 has concluded the event did not happen as originally reported, according to a BPD press release.
The female accuser, 22, reported she heard someone knock on her front door.
She told officers that when she opened the door a light-skinned black male unknown to her pushed his way into her apartment and forced her into her bedroom armed with a gun.
She reported the suspect sexually assaulted her in the bedroom and then fled the residence.
At approximately 3:08 a.m. Nov. 17, BPD officers responded to Brownstone Terrace Apartments located in the 200 block of East 14th Street regarding reports of an armed sexual assault that had just taken place.
In a later interview with detectives, a more detailed description was provided, which was used to produce a composite of the suspect.
The composite was released to the public through the media in an effort to generate tips.
Within a couple of days, a male made contact with the investigating detective and indicated that he might be the individual described in the initial report, according to the release.
He informed the detective that he knew the woman and had been with her the night of the reported event, having been invited by her to the residence.
He said there had been a dispute about money and was able to provide evidence of text messages before and after his visit that substantiated his claim.
The male’s belief was the reported rape was made in retaliation of the monetary dispute and other issues between the two, according to the release.
A follow-up interview with the complainant to resolve inconsistencies in her report resulted in an admission that the original version of the story was inaccurate.
She admitted to knowing the male who came forward to investigators and that he did not force his way into her residence as reported in the initial report.
Overall, the complainant has provided three different accounts of how the incident allegedly occurred.
The complainant is also somewhat evasive regarding the reported monetary dispute, according to the release.
“Based on the seriousness of the alleged incident, we dedicated extensive resources to fully investigate it,” BPD spokesperson Capt. Joe Qualters said in the release.
“The investigation revealed that the incident did not happen as reported, and it is important for us to let the community know in an effort to alleviate the fear and anxiety it caused.”
Alyson Malinger
