Campus rape report false

Last week’s allegation of rape on campus was retracted, said JMU spokesman Andy Perrine.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 24, a female JMU student reported a rape to the JMU Police Department. The complainant said she was returning to a university residence from an apartment complex along Port Republic Road when she was raped somewhere between Port Republic Road and Mr. Chips convenience store.

"She rescinded under her own free will," Perrine said. "She told the police that [the sexual interaction] was consensual."

The complainant recanted her statement Thursday around noon, Perrine said. "As she was being interviewed and evidence gathered, she decided to let the police know that the sex was consensual."

Perrine said JMU police will not charge the female with filing a false report. "[The police] have just decided that they’re not going to do that … the police department likes to be very sensitive when someone makes a mistake," he said.

Despite the false report, Perrine said, "The university will take every single reported case just as serious as any other. There is no crying wolf in cases this serious."

A retraction to the timely warning notice issued last Monday will be posted this morning.

"There is no longer the fear of a predator on campus," Perrine said. "But of course, we ask that students use the usual caution that they would at normal times."

— from staff reports