Woman Fabricated Accusations of Rape and Assault Against WA Police Officer

KIRO 7 News (October 8 2018) reported that prosecutors dropped all charges against a former Bellevue police officer who was jailed for weeks on investigation of domestic violence, witness tampering and violating protection orders, after it was determined that the woman had fabricated the allegations against the officer.

King County prosecutors wrote the woman who accused officer John Kivlin used a sophisticated ruse to get him arrested.

Prosecutors who reviewed the evidence wrote the woman who made the allegations cannot be believed. They say she made up stories of being assaulted and harassed by police officers she was dating.

She's the same woman at the center of allegations that rocked the Bellevue Police Department going all the way to the chief.

Earlier this year, Kivlin, 48, faced a judge after being arrested and jailed for a third time on accusations of domestic violence and witness tampering made by the same woman.

He spent 49 days in jail, and his attorney says some of it was solitary confinement.

On Monday, prosecutors not only dropped all charges against Kivlin, they wrote this about his accuser:

“(She) fabricated evidence and used a sophisticated ruse to deceive Kivlin, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Court in order to have Kivlin taken into custody and charged with additional crimes."

According to investigators, the same woman also accused a Bellevue police detective of rape leading that detective to resign.

Today, prosecutors say they believe the woman made up stories about being raped, assaulted and harassed, saying: "The result of (her) fabrication was that law enforcement arrested Kivlin for crimes he did not commit, prosecutors filed charges against Kivlin for crimes he did not commit, and the Court held Kivlin in custody for order violations which he did not commit."

Prosecutors also noted Kivlin's accuser violated a no-contact protection order Kivlin had taken out against her.

King County investigators told KIRO 7 they will not recommend charges against the woman for false reporting because they say she is extremely mentally ill.

KIRO 7 learned the woman also may have made allegations against Bellevue police chief Steve Mylett.

Mylett is on paid administrative leave while Bothell police investigate an undisclosed allegation. As of Monday, a Bothell police spokesman said detectives have been unable to corroborate allegations with any independent evidence. Mylett has denied ever meeting the woman.
--

This is why we have 'innocent until proven guilty' under the law. Unfortunately, this does not undo the injury caused by the false allegations.

It is not all that difficult to make false allegation that result in "an ongoing investigation", leaving the person accused with no meaningful opportunity to be heard.

So, how do we compensate a person for the harm caused by false allegations? Who pays for his legal fees? Lost wages? A destroyed career? Administrative actions and investigations that drag on for months, even when there is evidence that allegations are false, cause just as much harm as the false allegations themselves - and isn't that the intent of the false allegations to begin with?