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Stamford Woman Accused Of Falsely Reporting Her Kidnapping

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Stamford police charged a woman Tuesday with falsely reporting that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice, according to police.

Mercedes Irizarry

Mercedes Irizarry

Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department

Mercedes Irizarry, 25, was charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident and interfering with police and held on a $25,000 bond.

Her arrest stemmed from a Nov. 7 incident in which Irizarry claimed that she was kidnapped at knifepoint on Adams Avenue by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice, according to Stamford police.

She told police that they then drove her against her will to an apartment on Ursula Place, where she was sexually assaulted and held against her will overnight.

According to police, Irizarry said that the next morning she escaped through a bathroom window, she ran to a friend’s home and called the police.

Officers from the Stamford Victim's Unit investigated her claim and took a signed sworn statement from Irizarry regarding her story, police say.

A warrant was “fast-tracked” due to the severity of a domestic kidnapping and sexual assault incident, according to police.

When officers went to locate the ex-boyfriend, they learned that he had been deported two years ago to Colombia, police said.

Officers confirmed this with Department of Homeland Security and through other investigative techniques, according to police. Additionally, the officers discovered video in the area contradicting her claim of being traumatized and held against her will, police say.

With this evidence of a false report, Stamford Police conferred with the States Attorney’s Office to apply for a warrant, according to police.

her arrest was necessary to maintain the validity of true victims coming forward, police say.

The SVU office handles many true victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, according to police.

Irizarry’s actions play into what victims fear – that the police will not take their complaints seriously, police say.

The Stamford Police Department urges all victims to come forward and hopes this one incident will not deter them from investigating all claims of domestic abuse to the fullest.

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