A Nebraska-based lesbian, who claimed she was a victim of a brutal hate crime last month was arrested Tuesday for making false report, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Charlie Rogers, the Lincoln woman who alleged that on July 22, three masked men barged into her home and attacked her, scrawling they word “dyke” into her arms and stomach and setting her house ablaze.
Rogers entered a not guilty plea and was released on her own recognizance following a court appearance, reports the Journal Star.
Inconsistencies in Rogers’ story during four separate interviews with police and forensic DNA evidence led to the a judge issuing the arrest warrant, reports U.S. News. Forensic tests proved there was no blood on the bedspread where she was allegedly attacked.
“There was no apparent blood on the bedspread; even though Ms. Rogers reported she was rolled on to her stomach after she had been cut on her arms, abdomen, chest and front legs while being held down,” according to tests performed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, NBC reports.
Also, it appears that the cuts Rogers’ sustained may have been self-inflicted
“This opinion is based partially on the fact that the cuts appeared to be superficial and symmetrical, avoided sensitive areas of the body, appear that they would have taken considerable time to do and are accessible to the victim and follow the victim’s frame of reference for reading and writing,” determined Dr. Michelle Elieff, a forensic pathologist for Lancaster County who reviewed photos of Rogers’ cuts at the FBI’s request.
Elieff further determined that Rogers did not have any bruising although she claimed that the men beat her.
Finally, a clerk at the local hardware store identified Rogers as the person who purchased zip ties, gloves, blades and a utility knife that were used in the attack, according to U.S. News.
In late July, amid claims that she’d fabricated the story, Rogers, a former University of Nebraska basketball star and a local business owner, appeared on KETV to address detractors who accused her of making up the crime. Rogers said in the interview that “doubters are making her a victim all over again.” She said she was attacked to send a message of hate adding, “"For people to think this doesn't happen here, it does. It did."
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