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A Utah woman reported a sexual assault — but ended up facing a criminal charge herself for asking the state to pay for her rape kit

Posted at 8:27 AM, Nov 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-11 23:28:14-05

She asked the state to pay for her rape kit and, as a result, she ended up charged with a crime, accused of making a fraudulent claim. This St. George woman even spent time in jail. The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

And then, nine months later, it all just went away.

Prosecutors backed off and dropped the case. Authorities involved, from St. George to Salt Lake City, are pointing fingers at one another as to how these charges — rare in Utah — even got filed.

What happened here? It’s unclear. But the woman’s defense lawyer is frustrated and worries about the effect such a flawed process might have on other victims considering whether to report a sexual assault.

To read the full article, click here.