Woman distraught over election makes up rape story

A Kirkland woman claims she was distraught over the recent election when she fabricated a story that she was sexually assaulted, according to Kirkland Police Department.

City staff received an email from a concerned citizen who saw a Facebook post by the woman. The woman wrote in the post that she was the victim of sexual assault in Kirkland.

She claimed that Kirkland police responded but would not investigate the case or file a report.

"The Kirkland Police Department takes all allegations very seriously and the department conducted an investigation to locate the victim in an effort to bring light to the event," Lieutenant Rob Saloum wrote Friday.

KPD’s investigation did not find a call in its dispatch center.

Investigators had no information on the writer of the Facebook post because the information was marked out on the email. When investigators finally found the woman on Thursday, they went to interview her at her workplace in Kirkland.

Police said the woman admitted during the interview that she had made up the story. She said she was not assaulted and Kirkland police were never called.

She said she posted the false claim because she was “distraught over the recent election.”

Donald Trump claimed victory on election night despite the West Coast's overwhelming support for his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton. Locally,controversial measures were passed and new lawmakers were elected to office.

>> Related: What does Trump's presidency mean for Washington state?

Kent police did not specify what in the election made the woman upset.

The department did not mention charges for the fabrication, but it wrote that such false reports can cast doubt on an agency's reputation.

It’s estimated that only 2 percent to 10 percent of rape reports are false allegations or are recanted, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

KIRO 7 News' media partners the Dayton Daily News talked to the executive director of a women's empowerment group.

Executive director Kristin Shrimplin called false rape reports “concerning” because they can cause a rape victim not to come  forward and file charges.

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up and say, 'I've been sexually assaulted' out loud and to be believed,"
Shrimplin said.

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