Police: Woman admits attack was hoax

A campaign volunteer who told police she was attacked and mutilated after her assailant saw a McCain-Palin bumper sticker on her car admitted to police that she made up the story.

The incident was reported to Pittsburgh police Thursday and received national attention.

Police announced today that the alleged victim will be charged with filing a police report.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Pittsburgh police say a McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter "B" scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack.

Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department's investigations division, said Ashley Todd is being charged with making a false report to police.

Chief Bryant said Ms. Todd admitted today that the story was false.

Ms. Todd, who is white, told police she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man in Bloomfield Wednesday night.

Chief Bryant said Todd can't explain why she invented the story or explain how the backwards "B" was scratched onto her face.

Ms. Todd had told police the robber carved a "B" on her cheek with a knife when he saw a McCain sticker on her car.

Ms. Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas, spent more than five hours with robbery detectives last night at police headquarters, giving investigators details that differed from the initial police report after the incident - including that she was sexually assaulted and lost consciousness during the attack.

Because of the inconsistencies, Ms. Todd agreed to take a polygraph test, police said.

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.