Medford Police report arresting a man for rape last month and then releasing him after learning the woman who accused him made it up. Now they want to arrest her.
A woman who identified herself as Amanda Rodriquez reported to the Medford Police that she was sexually assaulted in Medford by a Medford resident. As a result of the detailed statement that she gave the detective, that man was arrested for the sexual assault.
Later that day, the detectives determined through follow-up investigation that this woman lied about the assault and her identity. The man was promptly released from custody.
We need to identify this woman in the photo to charge her accordingly for filing the false report.
If you know her, contact Det. Patricia Sullivan at 781-391-6767 ext. 257.
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Comments
Lot of questions here.
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 9:57am
OK. A few things here. And mostly this is just coming from a place of not knowing how I feel about it.
1. Of all of the people that local police departments are looking for, you picked this one to highlight on the blog, which plays into the misguided idea that false allegation of rape are a big problem. So - are you at all worried you are playing into the false narrative (a la, Republican witch hunts for in person voter fraud)?
2. Or... Does pointing out when a false allegation is made somehow demonstrate how rare it is? I don't buy it.
3. Really what we have is likely an under reporting of rapes, and every media mention of what happens to women who report rapes (Steubenville, FSU, to name two off the top of my head) probably makes women less likely to report. Which is especially problematic because most rapists are repeat offenders. So, in order to actually reduce rape, one thing we really need to do is the work as a society to remove the stigma around reporting rape.
I love this blog, best spot for local news, exponentially more so after the recent 'BDC' redesign, but I'm not convinced that this particular post doesn't feed into a harmful/inaccurate narrative.
Really?
By adamg
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 10:19am
If I never posted crime reports, you'd have a case. But if you've been a regular here, you know I'm forever prowling Mass Most Wanted (where I found this) for crime reports. Couple what I find there with stuff out of BPD, Transit Police and the DA's office and some days it seems like all I do is post crime news, with maybe a sunset or rainbow photo thrown in.
I'm not deliberately setting out to say anything at all about false rape accusations - any more than my posting about the guy with the confetti-filled rice cooker at the Marathon finish line was saying anything about people who call in (walk in?) bomb threats.
The fact is, this person is wanted for a crime - and a pretty serious one in this case, given that an innocent person was thrown in jail because of her actions. I find that newsworthy.
At the same time, I've already rejected one anonymous post about what this says about "feminists." Dudes, it doesn't say anything about feminists - go find some men's rights site to go whine on.
It's isn't a simple sexual assault fabrication here.
By Pete Nice
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:03am
And those aren't rare. It appears this woman maliciously and knowingly lied about who she was and what occurred between her and the person who was arrested. That is and should be news.
got it.
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:30am
That's fair. Not that my opinion actually matters, I'm going to read your site regularly because it is the best place for news, but I actually just don't know if the definite newsworthy-ness outweighs any obligation people with a public voice *might* have to think about the larger narrative that their voice plays in to.
I know it's the internet, but I'm going to say... I just don't know. It's really interesting to me to understand your process for deciding if something is newsworthy, and if it's just pure newsworthy-ness that makes something make the cut, or if other things come in to play.
She made up a story about a
By Hyde_Parker
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:37am
She made up a story about a crime, that not only wasted police resources but it also incriminated an innocent person. Those events are newsworthy, regardless of the crime she reported. One could also argue, and I will, that falsely reporting a rape feeds into the erroneous idea that many reports of sexual assault are made up, so this woman has just made it harder for every sexual assault victim to report a crime. That's horrible, and that's something for which this woman needs to be apprehended and severely punished. This post helps accomplish those goals.
Yes, I think that is the compelling argument
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:47am
And in this case, it seems so clearly open and shut that we don't have the problem of women who report actual assault hearing about this and worrying about getting dragged through the mud. So, yes, I agree with you.
We don't know
By Bob Leponge
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:12pm
We just don't know whether the idea is erroneous or not, because everybody seems to have an agenda. You've got some folks shouting about false reports of rape, you've got other folks conflating statistics about harrassment and statistics about actual criminal assault seemingly to make the problem worse than it is.
It's possible, even likely, that "Many reports of sexual assault are made up," and "Only a small percentage of reports of sexual assault are made up." are both true.
Go to the primary sources: the actual crime reports and the refereed articles from respectable journals.
fenrefer's original post includes a link to actual crime reports
By peter
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:34pm
The original post in this thread includes a link to a rainn page that has footnotes leading to several different actual crime reports, if anybody's curious.
Please
By bosguy22
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 10:25am
Comparing this to voter fraud? Beyond a stretch....and I don't even want to get into the ridiculous argument that voter fraud doesn't exist because there aren't documented cases. And no, I'm not a Republican.
hmmm...
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:35am
I'm trying to figure out some other example of, "things that people say are huge system/societal problems that actually aren't".
in-person voter fraud barely ever happens, and when it does, people are charged with the crime. False rape reporters rarely happen, and when they do, people are prosecuted for a crime.
Each discreet instance of both is a big deal, but to say, "in-person voter fraud is a huge threat to the integrity of our democracy" seems as absurd to me as "Women who make false rape allegations are a huge threat to men"
The substance is obviously hardly comparable.
Well
By bosguy22
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:47am
How do you know voter fraud "barely happens"?
well
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:54am
Here's one study
And, if I can extend the analogy further. I think that the risk to the individual of getting caught for in-person voter fraud, far outweigh the rewards. The risk to the individual of reporting a false rape also far outweigh the rewards. I mean, as far as I can tell, this woman, if caught, might actually think that the consequences she will face for making the wrongly accused spend a few hours in jail are worth it.
Let's ask Scott Walker
By adamg
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:59am
A Federal Judge Searches for Voter Fraud in Wisconsin and Finds None.
Misguided
By plt3012
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 10:33am
''...not a big problem.'' I'm sure it was for the poor slob that was arrested.
Wow
By Brian Riccio
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 10:49am
Your post wins today's "Head up their ass" award! A giant leg lamp is on it's way!
A few things..
By anon
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:22am
A few things..
1) Funny to fault UHub for reporting this story, but not the woman who filed a false rape report using a fake name.
2) Are you saying that since rape is such an epidemic, the guy who was accused and PROVEN INNOCENT does not deserve any sort of justice?
3) http://www.universalhub.com/crime
1. She should be caught and
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:38am
1. She should be caught and should pay whatever the consequences are that we as a society have decided are appropriate.
2. No. And if that was somehow implied. Sorry.
Should Adam not post news
By dave davery
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 11:38am
Should Adam not post news stories that don't fit your political and social agenda? Sorry if reality isn't matching up with what you learned in college.
Oh my
By Hobie
Fri, 05/16/2014 - 7:41pm
I cant believe what you posted. You are truly oblivious and have read way too much into a woman who lied about a rape to the point she gave a false name and put an innocent person in trouble with the law. That is pathological and this person should be caught. She wasted police resources and will waste the court's time again with her behavior. Not once have you mentioned the case, just hinting at some sort of insane agenda that only makes sense to you
Here is a pointer to some data
By Bob Leponge
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:18pm
The page linked below has plenty of sloppy argument and poor interpretation of data, but it does contain a treasure trove of links to primary sources, from which a more careful researcher might be able to extract some useful data:
http://imgur.com/a/MVVAp?gallery
Kudos to fenrefer
By nm
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:24pm
I don't agree with his/her original point, but it is refreshing to see someone accept counterarguments when presented with them.
in what world is that refreshing?!?!?
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:31pm
Stick to your guns or GET OFF THE INTERNET!!!!!!!11!!!1!!
P.S. sorry about your botched lobotomy.
Care to explain your post?
By Michael Kerpan
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:38pm
Or have you blown your cover as a possible troll?
This one, directly above?
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:51pm
Was a joke. I have to withdraw myself from commenting, I think. It feels like quicksand.
As for the original. I really don't know what the best thing to do about stuff like this is. I obviously defer to Adam, but I'm sort of conflicted.
The narrative of 'false rape allegations' is definitely bad for us as a society (in case it's not clear, I also think that false rape allegations are bad for us as a society, too). It makes victims question whether it is worth it to report, knowing their behavior will be publicly questioned. Since the best data say that most rapists are serial offenders, non-reported rapes have real consequences.
OTOH. As Hyde Parker pointed out, seeing the legal consequences of false allegations *might* also be a deterrent.
And Adam made a point that of course it's newsworthy because it's a relatively major crime.
So, the question that I actually don't know how I feel about is... "Does the newsworthyiness of this story trump an editors concern about playing in to the false narrative that we have an epidemic of feminists falsely reporting rapes to screw over men?"
I think the best argument for "yes" is probably that any obligation an editor might feel to not feed into false narratives is trumped in this instance because there is a fugitive, who did real and substantial harm to an individual, is at large.
The lobotomy comment...
By Michael Kerpan
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:56pm
... seemed a bit over the line (at least when unaccompanied by a smiley).
I was hoping to take it WAY over the line
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 1:07pm
So as to make sure the sarcasm was clear. I guess next time I should bring up Hitler or something...
This BTW, is the first and last time I start something on UHUB... *maybe* I'll try to guess a pic from the archives at some point.
If you have been reading posts here long enough...
By Michael Kerpan
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 1:35pm
... you would realize that NOTHING is so outrageous that one can confidently assume it is, in fact, a "joke" -- especially (bu not only) when dealing with anon posts....
you're right
By fenrefer
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 2:16pm
I was sort of hoping that my up-thread behavior would clue people in. I think really, my problem, is that I'm not very funny to anyone other than me. But sometimes I'm selfish enough to think the internet is just for me. Also, "!!!!!!11!1!!1" is my favorite example of l33t sp33k so I couldn't pass it up.
thanks, Adam,
By fenwickian
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 12:32pm
for posting this newsworthy crime report
glad to be able to count on your blog for good reporting
Kudos to Adam
By Markk02474
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 1:26pm
I like that he covers stories that others don't. This seems to be yet another example of that. I googled for false rape Medford and got a hit in some non-Mass Medford, so these things might not be so rare, in addition to mistaken identity like the North End rush to press conference by BPD.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...
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