Woman Charged With Making False Rape Report
PORT HURON (WWJ/AP) - A 38-year-old woman has been charged with falsely reporting a rape at her eastern Michigan home, five months after a man convicted of sexually assaulting her in a different case was released from prison because of similar reports of bogus allegations.
Sara Ylen told police last September that she was raped at her Lexington home, 80 miles northeast of Detroit. But she has been charged with filing a false report of a felony and tampering with evidence.
Ylen was released on bond after appearing Thursday in a St. Clair County court. She couldn't be reached for comment Saturday, and it wasn't known if she has an attorney. An arraignment date has not yet been set, according to court records.
Ylen alleged she had injuries related to the rape and was showing signs of bruising. But Sanilac County Sheriff Garry Biniecki told the Port Huron Times Herald that Ylen's alleged bruises were created with makeup.
Name of victims of sexual assault aren't usually released, but Ylen has talked freely to the Times Herald about another case, the prosecution of James Grissom. She told the newspaper she wanted to be identified and speak publicly as a rape victim.
Despite no physical evidence, Grissom was convicted in 2003 of raping Ylen outside a Meijer store in St. Clair County and sentenced to at least 15 years in prison.
The case changed dramatically when evidence emerged after the trial that Ylen had lied about as many as nine assaults in California before the alleged 2001 rape in Michigan. Grissom's attorney didn't have that information to possibly challenge her credibility at trial.
Judge Cynthia Lane said Ylen had "concocted incredible stories" and threw out Grissom's conviction in 2012. The prosecutor declined to put him through another trial, and Grissom was released from prison in November after nearly 10 years.
MORE: Freedom For Man Held 10 Years On Rape Conviction
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