Notice that the police department's only concern about false allegations is that the system is abused. The system? How about the men? What about compsentating them for damaged reputations, lost jobs, etc.?


Woman who cried ‘rape’ may have to pay back county
Jason Goldman-Hall, The Examiner
2008-01-01 11:00:00.0
Current rank: # 439 of 8,510
FOSTER CITY - CaliforniaThe San Mateo woman who will be serving 90 days in county jail for a false rape report in June may also be required to repay the county agencies that spent time and resources investigating her false claims.
On Monday, 24-year-old Karyn Adele Galila pleaded no contest to one count of filing a false police report, a misdemeanor, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
She was charged with two counts of filing false reports for her initial claim and a subsequent follow-up interview with a detective and a district attorney in which she again told the rape story.
Wagstaffe said the single plea was enough to satisfy both counts. The charge carries a jail term of 90 days. The final amount to be paid back will be determined Feb. 26.
Foster City Police Department Cpt. Jon Froomin told The Examiner that the investigation cost the department at least $4,000. In addition, the department was also charged $700 for a rape examination by the San Mateo Medical Center’s Keller Center.
“If a sexual-assault survivor comes forward and has a mistake of fact for whatever reason, we’re not going to prosecute them for that. But if someone comes forward and abuses the system, we’re going to hold them accountable,” Froomin said.
On June 12, Galila reported that she had been assaulted by three men on Foster City Boulevard at approximately 9 p.m..
According to her story, three men offered to help her after her Jeep broke down, and she was forced out of the car at gunpoint and raped in a grassy area.
Evidence found in her vehicle led officers to one of the suspects, Robert Salapuddin, who was arrested on prior warrants from San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
During questioning, he told investigators he had not committed the assault, but had been at a local restaurant with the alleged victim at the time of the attack. She subsequently confirmed his story. Police said no sexual contact occurred between the two.
“Our belief is that the reason she made this false report related to family matters, trying to avoid coming up with an explanation for where she was,” Wagstaffe said.
jgoldman@examiner.com

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