Posted on 01/09/2012 3:48:38 PM PST by biggerten
POLK COUNTY, Wis. - A western Wisconsin man has been cleared of all charges after an 11-year-old girl who had accused him of sexual assault admitted fabricating the whole story.
Paul Burritt of Turtle Lake is a driver for a handicapped transportation service. He was taken into custody and charged with sexual assault in mid-December after a client told authorities that Burritt drove her to his home and molested her before driving her home.
The case was widely reported in the media, including on kare11.com, because the case was officially charged by the Polk County District Attorney. That is among KARE's criteria for naming suspects in criminal cases.
Burritt was arrested, but as deputies continued their investigation they used GPS data to verify the driver's story that he drove his usual route, and did not make advances on the girl.
When confronted with the new information the 11-year-old admitted her allegations were false. The child did admit to making the false allegation upon being confronted with the facts.
Polk County District Attorney Dan Steffen told WQOW TV that what happened to Burritt is "a prosecutor's worst nightmare." Steffen has dropped the charges against Burritt and is assisting to get the charges cleared from court records.
The girl is being referred to juvenile authorities for making the false allegations.
The kicker is that every time someone looks at him, that thought will always be there in their minds....
He will never be free of this.
One would think that they would have verified the gps info before making an arrest.....it seems that these accusations prompt swift arrests...then investigate later...
Sounds like he was “Nifonged.”
...was thinking the same thing.
They arrested the guy without pursuing the facts, 1st.
The arrested him on her allegation alone.
The accusation is all it takes to ruin a man’s life, who has no recourse or defense. Any strident defense when someone brings it up will lead to “Thou dost protest too much” and those who choose not to broach the subject will judge him...in their silence.
All it took to unravel the case was to query his activities via GPS.
They couldn’t be bothered to have investigated the facts before arresting him.
What will his neighbors think? How does he inform everyone of his innocence?
Can’t. He’s F&*()d.
Good job there justice.
What a bee-otch she is.
I was a prosecutor and now do criminal defense. I hated these cases as a prosecutor and still do as a defense attorney, and for the same reason. If the suspect did it, there isn’t punishment enough for him. But there are a lot of innocent people who get accused and have their lives wrecked, just like this guy.
The problem is that there is often no really good way to determine who is telling the truth.
Public outrage in these types of cases demands swift arrests. Often the prosecutors will make "offers you can't refuse" to the defendants because they just don't have the evidence. I'm not convinced everyone on sex offender registries deserves to be there. I've lost a lot of faith in our legal process.
Where does he go to get his reputation back?
I used to work at a small private school. A male teacher was accused of inappropriate behavior with a female student.
The administration did not ignore the accusation and did investigate and after speaking with parents this girl has a history of false accusations.....years before this she accused her father of doing the same exact thing and she finally admitted she lied.....
It was fortunate this did not hit the press nor was it a source of gossip in the school. This great teacher and man did not loose his job and the girl got counseling......
LLS
Ah, no fool, it's a defendants worst nightmare. To bring charges like this against an innocent person without first completing an investigation that could easily clear him is the height of incompetence. This prosecutor should resign and the man charged should be able to collect significant damages.
As Ann Margaret said to John Forsyth in the movie KITTEN WITH A WHIP, “All I have to do is mess my hair and scream! One look at me and who would believe you!”
He will never be free of this.
&&&
And nothing will happen to this little brat. Not only has she sullied this man’s reputation, but she has also created a sense of skepticism in the minds of many people. When a real case of assault is reported, some may doubt the victim’s story because of this case.
I have to wonder what could motivate a “handicapped” girl to make these allegations.... Sounds like someone is behind the scenes. Whatever the truth is, the false accusers should be charged with the full weight of the law!
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