Glad that this was just a hoax but what a publicity stunt for this other girl to pull while all was going on with Anna Smith and her disappearance. She should get some jail time for trying to garner attention while a real tragedy was taking place.

MDaniels84 wrote:Glad that this was just a hoax but what a publicity stunt for this other girl to pull while all was going on with Anna Smith and her disappearance. She should get some jail time for trying to garner attention while a real tragedy was taking place.

It not only did it garnered attention but I imagine it redirected needed resources. I just can't imagine what went off in her mind to cause her to do something like that.

MDaniels84 wrote:Glad that this was just a hoax but what a publicity stunt for this other girl to pull while all was going on with Anna Smith and her disappearance. She should get some jail time for trying to garner attention while a real tragedy was taking place.

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I agree completely. I can't stand when these incidents occur and valuable resources are allocated (on your and my dime no less) to discover it was all a "hoax". I'm going to assume that the young "lady" who purported this rape is over the age of 18. If so, her name should be immediately be made public. I'd like to know the name, if for no reason other than the same reason young kids are made to hold signs by well-intentioned parents after they steal a piece of gum from the store on the corner, as public shaming can be a valuable aspect of punishment to a still-developing brain. Any person who would ride the coat-tails, or whatever her intentions were, of a real story, a tragic story, to this conclusion a week + later doesn't make me very proud if she is a current Mountaineer.

This goes beyond wasted resources. Victims are already in many cases reluctant to come forward. Hoaxes like this make it more difficult for the real victims who come after her. Again you have to wonder what is going onin some ppeople's minds.

Press charges and kick her off campus! With the attention sexual assault is garnering right now and the devastating effects it has on the victims, this type of hoax can have quite a negative impact on the innocent "defendant" until their name is cleared but in a lot of cases the damage has already been done. Fortunately, no one was wrongfully accused by name in this incident.

moonshine wrote:Press charges and kick her off campus! With the attention sexual assault is garnering right now and the devastating effects it has on the victims, this type of hoax can have quite a negative impact on the innocent "defendant" until their name is cleared but in a lot of cases the damage has already been done. Fortunately, no one was wrongfully accused by name in this incident.

Copied the link and sent it to my boys in Boone....proving what I had warned them about. I keep warning them about false or embellished reports and how they affect people!

This same type incident happened in 2001ish. It resulted in a lot of collateral damage. Kick the girl out of school.

moonshine wrote:Press charges and kick her off campus! With the attention sexual assault is garnering right now and the devastating effects it has on the victims, this type of hoax can have quite a negative impact on the innocent "defendant" until their name is cleared but in a lot of cases the damage has already been done. Fortunately, no one was wrongfully accused by name in this incident.

I really don't want to start a debate on this, wait for it.....but, I put this in the same category as voter fraud. It happens but it is by no means a rampant problem. Most times when a victim comes forward something not good happened. Now, if you are in that small percentage that is falsely accused it is no comfort that the statistics say you are in the minority. You are still stained. I know a two guys who were falsely accused and were later cleared. It was devastating to their families and their lives. So yes, tell your sons to be careful and I will tell my daughter to be careful and if they are we should be fine.