By BG INDEPENDENT NEWS
Bowling Green State University police have charged a second student with falsely claiming he was assaulted on campus several weeks ago.
Nicholas Davis, 22, had told police on Nov. 15 that he had been assaulted behind the Student Recreation Center, called anti-gay slurs, and had his cell phone stolen. After the initial report, he said his phone had not been stolen and that he found it on the scene. Further investigation by police determined the assault had not occurred.
Acting Police Chief Mike Campbell said Davis has been charged and released. He will have a hearing at Bowling Green Municipal Court.
Campbell said that his officers spend many times and hours investigating reports and if those reports are false that takes time away from other police operations.
Still, he said, a distinction needs to be made between a report that is legitimately a mistake and one that is deliberately false. Campbell said he would never discourage anyone from reporting an incident. “We want them to report those things.”
Campbell said that there has been a heightened sense of apprehension on campus since the election, though there has not been an increase in incidents. “It’s just a matter of providing needed support” and helping people in the community and campus understand that BGSU “is a safe and inclusive environment.”
Campbell said that Davis had told others that he wanted to bring attention to the problems faced by members of the LBGT community.
Bowling Green city police filed charges two weeks ago, against another student who claimed she had been assaulted on Crim Street on Election Night. They determined the report was false. Eleesha Long was charged with falsification and obstructing official business.
