Police say teen made up story about a Broward rape. ‘No safety concerns’ at this time
.jpg "A 17-year-old girl told detectives she made up a story about a man sexually assaulting her in Pembroke Pines, police say.")
A 17-year-old girl on Sunday told police that a man covered her mouth, pulled her into bushes and sexually assaulted her in Broward. Now, investigators say that never happened.
The search for the man who was accused of raping the girl near 1400 S. Flamingo Rd. in Pembroke Pines ended after the teen admitted to fabricating the story, according to police. Detectives, however, looked into the claim.
“Following a thorough investigation by our Special Victims Unit which included extensive area canvasses, field interviews, forensic tests, and the review of several hours of surveillance footage, it was determined that the reported sexual battery did not occur,” police said in a release Thursday.
The department announced it still hasn’t decided whether the teen will face criminal charges for making a false report. Police say they’re “primarily focused” on offering services to the teen and her family.
Studies estimate the only about 2% to 10% of sexual assault reports turn out to be false, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Those figures, the center said, are frequently inflated due to “inconsistent definitions and protocols” among police departments.
According to police, there are “no safety concerns” in the community related to the report.
