An Eatonton woman faces charges in connection with a false report of rape.
Eatonton Police arrested Jaleesa MCMullen, 23, for the false report of a crime and giving false statements and writings after she confessed to lying about a rape, according to reports.
McMullen came to the Eatonton Police department June 21 and reported that an acquaintance of hers had just raped her at her home on Glenwood Springs Road, said police.
Police Chief Kent Lawrence said his officers and Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers put in multiple hours on the case, following every procedure to the letter. McMullen was interviewed, taken for medical evaluation and offered counseling for the ordeal.
According to reports, McMullen called the police department day after day to make sure a lie detector test was scheduled so that she could tell her story. The day the test was scheduled, officials said as she walked into the door, saw the machine and the officials there to run the test, and she panicked.
“She fell on the floor crying saying, ‘I made it all up,’” Lawrence said.
The chief said a false accusation of rape harms more than the woman or the suspect.
This “makes it difficult for those who are actually raped to report the crime and get any assistance,” said Lawrence. “Those who cry wolf cause women who need our help not to report this crime.”
Officer Clint Perrin investigated the case and said the woman's story was convincing.
However, when he started attempting to gather evidence, there was nothing to collect. Perrin said that McMullen said she had cleaned everything at the house using bleach.
“The evidence will always lead to the truth,” Lawrence said. “We are here for women who are assaulted in this manner, but we are also going to follow the evidence to get to that truth. Things didn't add up in this case from the beginning and this office will not tolerate false reports.”
