Police: McCain Volunteer Admits She Made Up Attack Story
AP
October 24, 2008
Originally claimed she was attached at ATM
Pittsburgh – A McCain campaign volunteer who reported that a black man robbed her and carved a “B” into her cheek after seeing a McCain sticker on her car has admitted to making up the story, cops said.
Ashley Todd, 20, from Texas, is expected to be charged this afternoon with filing a false police report.
Cops said red flags in her story included photos and bank card information from a Pittsburgh automated teller machine where the college student claimed she was robbed on Wednesday night which did not show her using the machine.
She was given two polygraph tests.
Among the differences in her accounts are whether she lost consciousness, whether she remembers handing over money and how the man assaulted her, police said.
The report of the attack Thursday prompted the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate, Sarah Palin, to call Todd expressing their concern. Barack Obama’s campaign also issued a statement wishing Todd well and hoping the attacker would be swiftly brought to justice.
The Associated Press could not immediately locate Todd or her family.
Ethan Eilon, executive director of the College Republican National Committee, told reporters that Todd worked in New York for several months before moving to Pennsylvania two weeks ago to continue working for the group.
Eilon declined to comment on the investigation Friday or to help The Associated Press contact Todd. In a follow-up e-mail, Eilon said, “We think this girl has endured enough and that this is going to be something for her and her family to work through.”
Diane Richard, the Pittsburgh police spokeswoman, said police have pictures of the victim and her injuries, but are not releasing them. She said they are “more or less” consistent with a picture that has surfaced on the Internet that show a woman with a black eye and a red backward “B” that looks like a welt or scrape on her right cheek.
“It’s not like her cheek was carved out,” Richard said. “It’s more like a scrape or a scratch.” Read the rest of the story here.