An Example of a False Allegation
James Grissom, a former resident of Port Huron, was released from prison in 2012 after serving 9 years of a 15-35 year sentence for two counts of criminal sexual conduct against Sara Ylen. Grissom started to appeal his conviction in 2003 and continued his efforts until he was released.
Ylen accused Grissom of raping her during the daytime in a parking lot in 2001. Ylen reported a sexual assault to the police immediately, but failed to report being raped until 13 months after the incident, so there was no physical evidence of the rape. Following the incident, Ylen also reported claims of rape in California, which ended up being false accusations. After further investigation, it was seen that the allegations against Grissom could also be false.
Ylen picked Grissom’s photo lineup of 7,500 mugshots and stated that he had a skull tattoo, but could not describe it in detail. It was later determined that she had looked on the sex offender registry, which Grissom’s photo and description were on. She also described a ring her attacker was wearing and it matched a ring that Grissom had owned. However, it was concluded that Grissom had pawned the ring a year prior to Ylen informing police of its description.
After a lengthy process, Grissom was granted a new trial. In light of the evidence above, the district attorney filed a motion and the court dismissed the charges against Grissom and overturned his conviction. It was thought that Ylen fabricated her story against Grissom.
In December 2013, Ylen went to trial for falsely accusing two other men of raping her. It was found that those stories were fabricated against the defendants and she was sentenced to five to ten years of prison time for her false accusations.
Smith Blythe, PC is an office focused on defending criminal sexual conduct cases. Many times we handle cases involving false allegations. If you find yourself being falsely accused of a sex crime, contact Smith Blythe, PC, P.C. Our experienced legal team can assist you with your case and provide your defense.