Falsified text leads to dropped rape case against firefighter

While the following story did not happen here in South Carolina, the bizarre circumstances of it certainly warrant some discussion.

A respected firefighter who was previously named “firefighter of the year” in a city in Michigan was accused of rape by a woman who came to see him towards the end of 2012.

As part of the case against the man, there was a text message allegedly sent by the firefighter to the woman after the rape occurred. It was highly apologetic, but it also made clear that he had sexual intercourse with the woman and that he was “cruel enough” to her “for ten lifetimes.”

That text message certainly would be a key piece of evidence against the man — if he had actually sent it. The case against the firefighter was recently dropped because it appears the woman actually hacked the man’s phone, and sent the confession to her own cell phone to use as evidence.

This highlights the importance of due process and, for criminal defendants, how critical it is to know what your rights are. Tampering with evidence is, obviously, illegal and it usually results in a case being dismissed against the defendant.

The unfortunate side of things here is that it is still possible that the rape truly did occur — but the woman’s reckless decision to create false evidence has forever tainted her claims.

Sex crimes are very serious, and the defendant in such a case needs experienced legal representation to ensure that their rights are upheld during the investigation and the trial.

Source: Associated Press, “Rape Charges Dropped Against Michigan Firefighter,” Feb. 12, 2013

• To learn more, please visit our Rock Hill sex crime defense page.