Ellis County DA Investigating Accuser After Bogus Rape Claim Against DPS Trooper
WAXAHACHIE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Texas DPS trooper is now dealing with death threats after a suspect accused a colleague with the same name of sexual assault during a weekend arrest. It was a bogus claim.
Body camera footage released Wednesday shows the officer behaving professionally and courteously throughout.
"This is tragic because society is rightfully demanding that police officers conduct themselves beyond reproach," says Patrick Wilson, Ellis County District Attorney. "The world now knows that the trooper conducted himself beyond reproach and yet he was still subject to this horrible abuse, across the country. I can only imagine the trauma that he's experiencing."
Sherita Dixon-Cole was arrested for DWI and then retained the services of Dallas Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt. On Monday, Merritt hastily called a news conference and then cancelled it while local media waited for him to explain the claims.
Merritt apologized Thursday for his role in elevating the false claim, writing, "It is deeply troubling when innocent parties are falsely accused and I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have caused... I take full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern."
Merritt's posts on the woman's claims were quickly picked up by New York-based activist and radio contributor Shaun King. King then told listeners, "I have a horrible story to bring you about a woman named Sherita Dixon-Cole."
He went on to repeat claims that the trooper offered to release Dixon-Cole in exchange for sexual favors and then sexually assaulted her when she refused. He also accused the trooper, apparently based on Dixon-Cole's account, of threatening to kill her fiancee who arrived on the scene if she told him about what happened. Except that it didn't happen-- and the body camera footage shows that her account was completely fabricated.
"It was maddening," says DA Wilson. "I saw the video Sunday evening, yes, I did. And then to see the lies persist and grow in the face of what I knew to be contrary evidence was very disheartening."
However, Wilson was quick to express his appreciation to local media outlets for what he called "restraint and diligence in trying to vet this story before you participated in perpetuating these very harmful allegations against this poor trooper... it's a shame we didn't see any restraint in social media along those lines."
Throughout the day, the online conversation quickly turned to a call for Dixon-Cole to face additional charges.
The Ellis County DA's office says they are investigating.