Cayla Brown | News Editor
Published March 15, 2014; 5:37 p.m.
Updated March 17th, 2014; 10:07 a.m.
Friday, Joanna Newberry was charged with making a false report, a Class B misdemeanor. The 21 year old Lindenwood student made the false report of an attempted sexual assault last Friday.
She reported being assaulted in the basement bathroom of Butler Library to Lindenwood Security. Her report caused a campus wide Rave alert and a reminder to students about being safe around campus from the security office.
“We take every situation very seriously,” said Director of Public Safety and Security John Bowman. “We want to keep students safe and always alert students of dangers.”
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When interviewed at the police station, Newberry admitted to fabricating the story of being attacked on March 4. She did not give a reason for the false report.
For filing a false police report, she faces up to six months in jail and a fine if convicted according to Eric Lawrenz, Public Information Officer with the St. Charles Police Department. The first court appearance will be set by the St. Charles Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. “[The Police] spend a lot of effort on serious issues like this. There were a lot of man-hours and resources that could have been used elsewhere,” said Lawrenz.
To see the original story: LU student reports attempted assault
There is a sexual assault prevention presentation in the Anheuser-Busch Leadership Room March 19 at 6 p.m.
In Lindenwood’s press release about the situation, President James Evans said, “We have zero tolerance for such action. Lindenwood is a safe campus, and we will be steadfast in our efforts to remove those who commit such crimes and mislead our student population, our faculty, and our staff.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our students,” Evans said. “We are relieved to learn that this story wasn’t true. But we want to emphasize that any true victim of a crime should report it immediately.”
More details will be published when available.
