Florida woman faked rape after skipping work: authorities

Story here. Excerpt:

A Florida woman wasn’t raped after all — she just didn’t want to get in trouble for missing work, authorities said.

Alexandra Westover, 21, of Boca Raton, had reported a frightening, broad-daylight attack to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.

The tale, which authorities now say is fake, was full of details.

She told detectives she had a flat tire about 9 a.m. on Tuesday and pulled over in the side of the Florida Turnpike.
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Crime fighters launched a full-scale search for the phantom rapist, wasting more than 100 man hours before Westover finally admitted the hoax, according to a sheriff’s office statement.
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A deputy followed up and Westover admitted she lied because she didn’t want to get in trouble for skipping work at her great-uncle’s house, the paper reported.

Westover didn’t respond to phone calls from the Daily News.

She was arrested on Thursday on a charge of falsely reporting a crime and a misdemeanor perjury count.

She was released Friday on her own recognizance, according to jail records.