CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating after a woman alleged that she was denied the opportunity to file a police report after she was drugged at a Charlotte bar.
News outlets report Leah McGuirk, 31, said in an online posting that she was at the bar on May 12 when her drink was spiked by someone who intended to sexually assault her.
Nearly two weeks later, she tried to file a police report, but a CMPD officer told her she had to return to the crime scene and then call 911.
Lt. Melanie Peacock of the department’s sexual assault investigations unit was quoted as saying that victims don’t need to return to the scene of a crime and that the officer involved is being investigated.
“There are some situations where we may ask a citizen to go back to the scene of the crime if there was a vehicle accident or you need to show what happened and we need to collect evidence somewhere,” Peacock said. “But a report with a nature such as this, we would never advocate for a victim to have to go back and call somebody else.”
According to Peacock, the sexual assault unit found out about the incident through social media and asked McGuirk to file a report about being drugged and also file a complaint against the officer.
The sexual assault unit and the alcoholic beverage control unit are working together on the investigation, although Peacock noted that no sexual assault occurred in McGuirk’s case.
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