When a person is accused of sexual assault, the news quickly spreads through media sources in St. Paul. A person's employer may read about the allegations in the newspaper, and co-workers and friends may see hear about the arrest. The reputation a person has worked hard to build can be shattered in a moment, even if the person making allegations is lying.

Sadly, that is exactly what recently happened to one man. His child's mother accused him of sexually assaulting her when the two met to exchange their child. Although the father denied the allegations, he was arrested.

Melissa told police that she met Jeremy in the Culver's parking to exchange their child. She claimed, however, that when she was reaching into Jeremy's SUV to put the child in the seat, Jeremy grabbed her and put his hands down her pants. She told police that he didn't stop grabbing her until she told him to stop.

In Melissa's version of the story, the two met at Culver's again later that day to exchange their child. This time, Melissa claimed that Jeremy was already parked in the lot when she arrived, and he allegedly said that he wanted to show her a Christmas present he had picked out. She claimed that when she looked in the back of his SUV, he pushed her inside and closed the door. She told police that he grabbed her genitals repeatedly.

Police promptly arrested Jeremy, although he denied everything Melissa said about their exchange. He told police that nothing happened between them in the Culver's parking lot. However, when he left, she followed his car to a movie theater, and they had consensual sex in his SUV. It is unclear where their child was at that point.

When police looked at surveillance videos, they saw Melissa's car following Jeremy's SUV into a secluded corner of the parking lot. Both vehicles remained there for a period of time before leaving at the same time.

Once Melissa learned about the surveillance videos, she admitted to lying. She acknowledged that she had consensual sex with Jeremy in the parking lot. She is now facing misdemeanor charges for obstructing an officer and making false allegations. If she is convicted, she could spend up to nine months in prison and be fined up to $10,000.

Source: PortWashington-SaukvillePatch, "Woman Faces Charges for False Sex Assault Accusations," Lyssa Beyer, Jan. 23, 2012