DA investigating woman who lied about being raped by police officer as trooper gets death threats
19 mins
Sherita Dixon-Cole, the black woman who lied about a Texas state trooper sexually assaulting her during a Sunday traffic stop, may face charges for making those fraudulent accusations, according to WFAA-TV.
Activist Shaun King pushed Dixon-Cole’s fake narrative to a national level on social media on Sunday and Monday, which included allegations of inappropriate touching, penetration, and threats.
After video footage of a traffic stop involving Dixon-Cole exonerated the accused officer on Tuesday, Dixon-Cole’s attorney distanced himself from his client’s allegations.
King also wrote a lengthy blog post noting how Dixon-Cole victimized everyone else with her fake story.
So what’s happening now?
On Thursday, Ellis County DA Patrick Wilson said that his office is “investigating the possibility” of charging Dixon-Cole.
According to WFAA, Wilson said that there was “no apparent motive” behind Dixon-Cole’s claims.
“When I went to the DPS office to watch the video, I fully expected to see some measure of tension or aggravation between the officer and the woman being arrested,” Wilson said. “The world has now seen that there is nothing of the sort on that video.”
Assistant Ellis County District Attorney Ann Montgomery told ABC News in a statement Thursday that “a decision whether to file charges against Dixon-Cole has not been made at this time.”
“Our office is still investigating to determine exactly what was said and to whom it was said,” Montgomery’s statement added.
According to Texas Penal Code, making a fraudulent police report is considered a Class B misdemeanor in the state.
And what’s this about death threats?
Wilson expressed his displeasure and frustration for the accused trooper and his family, according to KTVT-TV.
A portion of KTVT’s report read, “Ellis County Officials also said that a trooper in another county not even connected to the case — who has the same name — is getting police protection for himself and his family.”
“They are the latest victims of a social media world fueled by rage and minus the facts,” the station’s report added.
“It was maddening,” Wilson told KTVT. “This is tragic because society is rightfully demanding that police officers conduct themselves beyond reproach. The world now knows the trooper in this case conducted himself beyond reproach. And yet he still was subject to this horrible abuse across the country.”
The impact of Dixon-Cole’s false allegations have been felt far and wide.
According to Fox News, the trooper with the same last name of the accused officer has hired an attorney who is prepared to take action against Dixon-Cole, her attorney, and activist King.
Texas State Trooper Jarrod Hubbard’s father — Bell County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Norman Hubbard — told Fox, “We’re going after them.”
Norman said that a virtual lynch mob began formulating on the internet, and people began doing searches to find out more about his son, Jarrod.
“[Jarrod’s] picture was the first thing that came up [in an internet search],” Norman said. “One person posted on Twitter my name and date of birth, my wife’s name and date of birth and my son’s name and date of birth.”
He told the outlet that his son has received “thousands” of death threats as a result of Dixon-Cole’s accusations.
Jarrod’s mother said that even after the accused officer — Daniel Hubbard, who has yet to speak out — had been cleared and the news of his exoneration had spread across the country, she continued to receive threats on her son’s behalf.
Fox reported that Jarrod was forced to take a leave of absence from policing, and had reportedly been placed under Texas Ranger protection.
Jarrod returned to work on Wednesday, according to Fox.
So what are the options here?
Criminal defense attorney Nicole Knox told KDFW-TV that prosecutors may have another option as the trooper involved was reportedly subjected to vicious threats of harm.
“If [Dixon-Cole] has caused someone to threaten with serious bodily injury or their life then there could be an aggravated assault charge here,” Knox said. “It will just depend on the strength, and the believability of the death threats — whether it’s something someone could carry out.”
Knox added that prosecutors could also potentially rope Dixon-Cole’s former attorney as well as activist King into the mix for pushing the spurious claims.
“The allegations that [Dixon-Cole] made are awful and damaging and ruined the lives of really good people, but it’s the players that came into this information and took it at face value and disseminated it, that are really at fault here,” Knox told KDFW.
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