By MIKE MORRIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/29/06
A woman who claimed she was raped last month inside a Gilmer County school has admitted she made up the whole story.
Sharon Kendall, a 44-year-old janitor at Ellijay Elementary School, told authorities that she was attacked and raped at knifepoint when she arrived at work on Aug. 17, said Ellijay police Chief Larry Callahan.
Classes were canceled at all county schools the following day, and uniformed sheriff's deputies were posted in all schools when classes resumed the following Monday.
"It scared everybody to death," Callahan said. "Kids were afraid to go to school."
Callahan said detectives noticed inconsistencies in Kendall's story early in the investigation, "but in a case like that, the last thing you want to do is say it didn't happen if it really did."
He said that when DNA evidence "showed absolutely no other person involved," authorities decided to file charges.
Callahan said Kendall pleaded guilty on Thursday to giving false information, criminal damage to government property — for throwing a computer off a desk onto the floor on the morning she staged her bogus attack — and workman's compensation fraud, all felonies.
The married mother of one was sentenced to 11 years of probation and 500 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $8,400 restitution.
"I believe that the act itself deserved prison time . . . I don't make any bones about that," Callahan said, adding that he agreed to the sentence of probation in order to get a confession from Kendall.
"We felt that was the only thing that would fully relieve the community's fears was for them to hear her say it didn't happen," Callahan said.
Source
A woman lying about being raped? No, it can't be .......
