A sexual assault investigation at Washington Park turned out to be a hoax, set up yesterday by a woman trying to conceal her embezzlement of funds from a nonprofit medieval re-enactment group, according to the Portland police.
Emergency operators received a distress call at about 2 p.m. and eventually found 29-year-old Stephanie Brown near the Washington Park Zoo Railroad and the archery range.
Brown of Newberg told detectives she was meeting someone in Portland to hand over money she raised for the group as its former treasurer, but instead was kidnapped and taken to the remote location and sexually assaulted.
Police said Brown created a sexual assault scene using a plastic zip tie and a condom wrapper, but had very little information about the attack or attacker.
She eventually confessed to making the story up in an effort to hide her theft of $1,500 from a group called
AMTGARD.
According to their website, AMTGARD is "dedicated to the recreation of the sword and sorcery genre as well as educational aspects of both medieval and ancient cultures."
Detectives will forward their information to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office for a possible prosecution.
--Toshio Suzuki
