Police: Dos Palos woman made teen falsely report a rape

A Dos Palos woman was arrested for allegedly forcing a teenager to report a rape that never happened, police said Monday.

An investigation into an allegation of rape began May 1, after a 13-year-old girl said she was assaulted by a man, police said in a news release.

Officers did not release the suspect’s name.

Police Chief Barry Mann told the Sun-Star that investigators hope to withhold the suspect’s name to protect the identity of the teenage girl.

Police said the man also was threatened at gunpoint after the 53-year-old woman told the girl’s family about the alleged rape. It was not immediately clear when the alleged threat occurred.

The witnesses gave conflicting stories and police searched cellphones and surveillance footage from a local convenience store after the initial report, police said.

Eventually the girl admitted that the accusation was false and said she was forced by the 53-year-old to make the claim, authorities said. The girl was turned over to Child Protective Services, police said.

The woman, who was described as the guardian of the girl, was arrested on suspicion of providing false information, and suspicion of directing the 13-year-old during the false reporting, police said. It’s unclear how the two are related.

The woman also was arrested on conspiracy charges related to an assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Police: Dos Palos woman made teen falsely report a rape."