Man who claimed he was beaten arrested

[snopes]

A 22-year-old man who told police that he was beaten by strangers who signaled him to pull over has been arrested on charges he filed a false report.

The man had told Fox Valley Metro police he was jumped by three white men after he pulled over on the shoulder of northbound U.S. 41, just north of State 441. He pulled over, he said, because a car behind him was flashing its brights.

The man’s story caused a panic in the community. It was the subject of thousands of e-mail messages sent throughout the Fox Valley and beyond. Various police agencies saw versions of the e-mail. They discounted some and pointed out slight variations in the different versions.

Anne Strauch, community engagement coordinator for the Appleton Police Department, took the unusual step of notifying Neighborhood Watch captains after she received several versions of the alert and told them to check www.snopes.com, an Internet site that debunks urban legends.

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbc.../71019175/1979

[carter108]

Well snopes you can now add 'crime stopper' to you list of superpowers!!

[Not_Done_Living]

Hold on a second though...

Just because this guys alleged experience parrallels an urban legend, doesn't mean it didn't happen...


that is a dangerous precedent to set

[Psihala]

Perhaps, but this paragraph doesn't exactly seem to help his case...

Fox Valley Metro Police Lt. Ray Lee said the man was taken into custody on charges of filing a false report and providing false information to investigators after they found a witness who cast doubt on the man’s story.

~Psihala

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Not_Done_Living

Just because this guys alleged experience parrallels an urban legend, doesn't mean it didn't happen...

No, but a witness' asserting that he was beaten up elsewhere under different circumstances than he claimed indicates that it didn't happen.

- snopes

Looks like a case of someone using an urban legend as a template to try and cloud the issue. I know a girl who missed an important exam her excuse was her drink last night was spiked with rohypnol (a constant scare story going around at that time), how the rohypnol managed to get into one of her drinks is a mystery as anyone that was with her that night could tell you they were going down her throat far too often and far too fast to of got spiked.