A Riverside City College student who reported being the victim of an attempted rape inside a women’s restroom on campus has recanted her story, authorities announced Friday.
On Jan. 15, the student told police she was washing her hands in first floor restroom at the Math/Science Building when she noticed a man standing behind her, according to the Riverside City College Police Department.
She said the man pushed her to the ground and attempted to rape her, but she managed to fend him off by stabbing him with a pencil, the release stated.
Video footage, a lack of physical evidence, including blood or the pencil, and other factors led investigators to question the student’s claims, according to Police Chief Jim Miyashiro.
Police turned the case over to the Riverside District Attorney’s Office and recommended the student be charged wth filing a false report. The student also faces college disciplinary charges for student conduct violations, police said.
Campus police were still investigating a more credible incident involving another female student that occurred in a restroom in the Quad on Jan. 14.
“Investigators are working the case,” Miyashiro said. “Following the release of a sketch of the suspect, we received 39 calls which either identified someone matching the suspects’ description or reported possible sightings on- and off-campus.”