CA - illegal alien teen lied about being gang raped

The report left people stunned: An Encinitas teen said she was abducted Friday afternoon by three men after school, repeatedly raped and then dumped an hour later.

Investigators worked overtime, sex offenders were questioned and parents refused to let their kids walk to school.

But it was a hoax, officials learned Monday.

The 15-year-old girl admitted that she skipped class Friday, met up with an adult man she met on the Internet and had consensual sex.

He then dropped her off back at her school, San Dieguito Academy, and she went home, said San Diego County Sheriff's Capt. Sherri Sarro, who heads up the department's Encinitas station.

Now the teenager is in trouble for filing a false report that triggered an expensive search for phantom rapists.

And the man who lured the teen for sex may find himself facing criminal charges.

"To say the least, we're not happy that the student made this up," Sarro said. "In fact, we are somewhat outraged. We spent a lot of time and resources on this. However, with that said, if this was reported tomorrow, we would do the same thing."

Sarro said that the teenager was "embarrassed, ashamed and scared of how her parents would react to her being victimized by someone she met online," and thus told them she had been kidnapped and raped. Her parents quickly called the Sheriff's Department.

The girl, who is Latino, told investigators that three Latino men shoved her into a car on Melba Road behind the school, took turns assaulting her, and dropped her back at the abduction site after an hour.

She provided descriptions of the assailants, and on Sunday the Sheriff's Department released sketches to the media.

Still, investigators had serious doubts Sunday, Sarro said, but the girl "very strongly stuck to her story."

Then, on Monday morning, investigators confronted her with "a significant amount of evidence that we could show her to prove that she was lying," Sarro said.

That's when the teenager came clean, the captain said.

Not only is the teenager looking at legal trouble for filing a false police report, but she might also have to pay back the cost of the expensive search for the alleged rapists that her report triggered.

The teenager underwent a physical examination to gather evidence from reported sexual assault.

Forensic scientists worked over the weekend to quickly process DNA evidence, which was then run through the state's DNA database ---- but it came back with no matches to known or suspected felons.

The rapid response to run the DNA mirrored the forensic efforts seen in the hours and days following the abduction, rape and murder of Poway teenager Chelsea King in February, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.

Chelsea's killer, John Albert Gardner III, would later admit to the February 2009 abduction, rape and murder of Escondido teenager Amber Dubois, whom he kidnapped from the street as the 14-year-old walked to school.

As for the Encinitas hoax, investigators do not think the man who reportedly lured the teen for sex was privy to the false report, Sarro said.

But he may still be facing criminal trouble.

Sarro pointed out that sex with a minor ---- even if consensual ---- might bring criminal charges into play for the man.

He might also be in criminal trouble if he used the Internet to lure the girl for sex.

Other than saying the man is a San Diego County resident, officials did not supply much information on him, such as his age.

Under the law, he could face a felony if he is more than 10 years older than the teenage girl.

If he is less than 10 years older, the charge could be a misdemeanor.

On Monday, before revelations emerged that the tale was a hoax, a number of students at San Dieguito Academy said they spent the day on edge.

"Everybody was freaked out," freshman Chelsea Kanzler said. "The concern was apparent."

Before school let out for the day, teachers made the announcement that the report had been false.

And many parents, at the campus to pick up their kids, were taken aback.

"I'm stunned somebody would do that," parent Sheryl Kies, 53, said. "Thank goodness it didn't happen, but it is stunning."

Kies said she hoped the revelation would not lead students to a false sense of security.

"Let's just hope all the students remain mindful that this kind of thing can be a reality very quickly," Kies said. "They still need to walk in groups, pay attention and not let their guard down."

Source - http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/encinitas/article_726ffb0e-aa05-52d8-9f8a-a43470198c23.html