A lawyer representing Heidi Jones says that the WABC weathercaster never told police that she was the victim of attempted rape. Paul Callan released a statement on Friday saying that the press coverage of his client has been “disturbingly one-sided and unfair” and urged the public to “remember the presumption of innocence.”
News broke last week that Jones had admitted to New York City police that she had lied to them about an incident that allegedly occurred while she was jogging in Central Park. While initial reports indicated that Jones had told police that a man had attempted to rape her, Callan is adamant in saying that his client never described the incident as rape.
Jones “wants to make it clear that at no time did she ever claim to any law enforcement official that she had been raped or that she was the victim of an attempted rape,” Callan said. “The characterization of this case as a ‘false rape claim’ is character assassination directed at a respected broadcast journalist.”
Callan’s assertions come as new details have emerged about the extent of the NYPD’s involvement with the case. According to a report from the Daily News, the Heidi Jones case went all the way up to New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. A source told the Daily News that Jones contacted Kelly after police officers initially refused to take down a police report on her behalf. Once a formal report was filed, the NYPD even went as far as to provide Jones with a personal security unit. She reportedly was flanked by police officers for three weeks before admitting to police that she falsified her report.