A Florida woman told police back in May that while she was driving in Ocala, a man entered her vehicle and forced her to take him to buy cigarettes and fast food and get cash. She then said the man removed her pants and tried to rape her.
Nicole Marie Hosmer, a 22-year-old from Leesburg, Florida, pleaded “no contest” to falsely reporting that crime to the police, and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and more than $500 in court fees. If she doesn’t pay or complete those hours, she could face one-and-a-half months in jail, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.
The man Hosmer accused said he didn’t do anything to her, and she eventually admitted she had lied.
“Hosmer eventually told police she doesn’t know why she lied and that the man did not make any sexual advances,” the Star-Banner reported. “After her interview, she was arrested.”
Falsely reporting a crime — even one with as much potential to damage as a false report of attempted rape — is considered only a first-degree misdemeanor. The maximum sentence for perpetrators is one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Conversely, if the case had gone forward against the man, he could have faced decades in prison.