Camden Woman Charged For False Rape Accusations
By Chelsea Karnash
CAMDEN, NJ (CBS) -- A 25-year-old Camden woman has been charged with Providing False Information to Police.
Janira Lebron, of the 200 block of S 27th Street in Camden, initially told investigators on Wednesday that she had been sexually assaulted near Baird Boulevard and Randolph Street in Camden shortly after noon. Lebron provided information about her assailant that indicated he might have been the same man responsible for three other rapes in the area over the last two months.
In response to her claims, police dispatched dozens of officers to the scene. Members of the State Police, Camden County Prosecutor's Office and the Sheriff's Department were also deployed. However, hours later, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office released a statement that said there were "serious concerns about the allegations of sexual assault that were reported," and a source confirmed to Eyewitness News that Lebron falsified the account (see previous story).
Police say Lebron's claims and the resulting investigation of her account delayed their arrest of the suspect believed responsible for the previous three rapes, Kevin Cleveland, who was taken into custody on Thursday.
