Woman claims she was attacked
Thursday, December 28, 2006 2:18 PM PST
Andy Gates
Argus Observer
ONTARIO
An Ontario woman with a 25-year history of meth addiction told Malheur County Sheriff’s Office deputies she was attacked Tuesday with a stick by a large unknown man and then forced to swallow something that tasted like “dope.”
However, deputies investigated Patty Faries’ story and they determined it was not true, and cited her for initiating a false police report, which is a misdemeanor crime.
Faries, 42, Ontario, is a mother of three and holds a steady job at an area fast food restaurant. She says what she told police is true.
“I’m going to fight this,” Faries said while crying during a phone interview Thursday afternoon.
“It’s frustrating to have something happen to you and have the cops call you a liar,” Faries said.
According to area law enforcement officials, Faries asserts a large, unknown stranger approached her from behind while she was under the I-84 bridge, poked her in the back and threatened to shoot her unless she kept walking — then put something in her mouth tasting of dope and made her swallow it.
Malheur County Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said Faries also told police the unknown assailant pushed her into water nearby, stood on the bank laughing, and then left, Wolfe said.
Faries said she does not know the man who she says attacked her, but she said he called her a snitch, which may have motivated the attack, she said.
Faries said she is not a snitch.
And, Faries believes her attacker may have forced her to eat dope so police would not believe her, she said.
Deputies investigated the case, though, and determined her injuries and the crime scene were not consistent with Faries’ claims, Wolfe said.
“Her injuries weren’t consistent with being attacked,” Wolfe said.
Faries was treated and released from Holy Rosary Medical Center Tuesday, Wolfe said, and she told deputies she was attacked earlier in the day in the northeast section of the city, under the Interstate 84 bridge near the railroad tracks. Deputies went to the scene of the alleged attack and evidence, including only one set of foot prints, was not consistent with Faries’ story, Wolfe said.
Faries maintains that even without evidence she was attacked.
“When people do things like this they don’t leave evidence,” she said.
Faries’ case will be forwarded to her probation officer, officials said, and a urine analysis will likely be performed.
It is apparently not uncommon for individuals to be charged with giving false information to police. Thirty-one percent of the people arraigned Wednesday in Malheur County Circuit Court involved charges of giving false information to police, according to the court schedule. Wolfe said sometimes people give false information in an attempt to remain out of trouble, or to initiate legal problems for other people.Faries maintains her story is true.
“It happened to a 25-year addict with a bad name in town,” Faries said.
