An extensive investigation into a claim by a 20-year-old Roanoke woman of being assaulted by a police officer on Interstate 81 in Botetourt County last month has proven to be unfounded.
A month after the alleged incident was to have happened, the woman admitted her original account of the event on March 7, 2021, was untrue. She stated she made the story up because she was anxious.
The incident was reported to have occurred at 10:03 p.m., when the alleged victim claimed she was traveling south on I-81 and was stopped by a sedan with flashing red and blue lights somewhere between the town of Buchanan and the city of Roanoke. She told state police the man told her to exit her vehicle and when she did, she was pulled to the ground and struck in the head. The woman said she fought off the man, ran back to her vehicle and sped away.