DETROIT, MI -- A woman who claims a Detroit police officer sexually assaulted her is facing criminal charges herself after Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office says it was a lie.
Velicia Stinson, 24, on Feb. 1 filed a complaint stating she'd been sexually assaulted by a Detroit police officer earlier that morning.
"Investigation of the allegations and a review of the scout car in-car video did not support the sexual assault allegation filed by the defendant," Worthy's office said in a statement Tuesday, May 10.
She is now charged with felony filing of a false police report, a charge punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
"The alleged actions of Ms. Stinson will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Worthy said in a prepared statement. "Falsely reporting a sexual assault perpetuates the ugly stereotype that women are lying.
"This is one of the biggest barriers to eradicating sexual assault in this country, and a reason why there are untested kits sitting on shelves in police departments across the country."
In 2009, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy learned that the Detroit Crime Lab had over 11,000 rape kits, some decades old, sitting idly in a warehouse.