APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — Law enforcement arrested a 30-year-old woman who they say falsified a sexual assault claim, even going as far as to buy rope to carry out the alleged incident.
Renee Skoglund, 30, was taken into custody Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and awaits extradition to Florida for charges of misuse of a 911 system, false report of a crime and fabricating physical evidence, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release.
Deputies say Skoglund called the sheriff's office on March 8 to report that an "unknown" suspect sexually battered her in the area of Interstate 75 near Ruskin and Apollo Beach. She reportedly claimed that she was blindfolded and bound by a rope inside her rental car after stopping on the side of the road.
Investigators learned that Skoglund planned to return to South Dakota that day. After looking for a suspect, deputies found that the same rope Skoglund said was used was sold at Walmart.
She was seen on video eight hours before the reported attack buying the rope at a Walmart after investigators visited several locations, the sheriff's office said. Once the discovery was made, Skoglund was seen on video at multiple locations in the time surrounding the attack, the agency added.
Skoglund reported the incident to the Sioux Falls Police Department to receive medical help "but was confronted with the facts." Deputies say she then eventually admitted to lying.
"This case is truly disheartening," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "There are far too many victims faced with this type of trauma. This woman took advantage of our 911 emergency line and diverted attention from actual victims who need the viable resources available in these investigative scenarios."
If you or someone you know is being victimized by domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233
