BOISE, Idaho — A Boise woman who told police she was abducted and sexually assaulted by a stranger who climbed into her car earlier this month has been charged with lying to police.
Patricia Crosby-White, 25, is facing one misdemeanor charge of providing false information to law enforcement.
Police began investigating the case May 1 after Crosby-White reported being sexually assaulted. She told officers that she had been sitting in her car in a parking lot on Overland Road when an unknown man forced his way into her vehicle.
The man made her drive to a second location, where he raped her, Crosby-White said. He then allegedly forced her to drive back to the original parking lot, where he got out.
Crosby-White told investigators the man was wearing a holster, and might have had a gun.
Boise Police released a surveillance photo of the man Crosby-White said had assaulted her, and asked for the public's help in identifying him.
By the next day, detectives had tracked down the man in the photo and interviewed him. Over the course of the investigation, they learned that Crosby-White and the man knew each other, and had made plans to meet up in the parking lot.
Detectives analyzed surveillance videos, witness interviews, social media records and other electronic messages in the case, before forwarding their findings on to prosecutors.
Prosecutors declined to file any charges against the man Crosby-White said assaulted her, but filed the false reporting charge against Crosby-White Thursday after determining that she had not told investigators the truth about what happened.
Crosby-White has not been arrested, so no mugshot was available for her Friday morning. Because the charge is a misdemeanor, she will be issued a summons to appear in court instead, according to Boise Police spokeswoman Haley Williams.
But the department says they still want people who have been victims of sexual assault or violence to report those crimes to police.
The Boise Police Department Special Victims Unit, Victim Witness Coordinators and Faces of Hope Victim Center remain committed to serving victims of abuse in Ada County," the department said in a statement. "Our network of care providers and law enforcement has a proven record of helping victims of sexual assault seek justice and safety. We encourage all victims of assault to seek help and report crimes against them."
