[Rhodes22-list] McCain volunteer made up robbery story

[Lowe, Rob]

Yes, the story says she had mental difficulties.  Did you not read it?


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Brad Haslett
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 1:17 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] McCain volunteer made up robbery story

Rob,

You're at least two days behind the news cycle.  This was all over the
right wing blogs immediately and they "smelled a rat" and sat on the
story until the truth came out.  The truth is, this girl has a serious
problem.  She was previously a Ron Paul supporter with some serious
mental health issues (like all Ron Paul supporters don't have them but
I don't want to open a new 'can of worms').

I assume you didn't write your graduate thesis with ONE data point.

Try again.

Brad



On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 11:52 AM, Lowe, Rob <rlowe at vt.edu> wrote:
> How bizarre. - rob
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> October 24, 2008
>
> Police: McCain volunteer made up robbery story
>
> By JOE MANDAK   Associated Press Writer
>
> A McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to
> the ground and having the letter "B" scratched on her face in what she
> had said was a politically inspired attack, police said Friday.
>
> Ashley Todd, 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas,
> admitted Friday that the story was false, said Maurita Bryant, the
> assistant chief of the police department's investigations division.
Todd
> was charged with making a false report to police, and Bryant said
police
> doubted her story from the start.
>
> Dressed in an orange hooded sweat shirt, Todd left police headquarters
> in handcuffs late Friday and did not respond to questions from
> reporters. The mark on her face was faded and her left eye was
slightly
> blackened when she arrived in district court.
>
> Todd was awaiting arraignment Friday on the misdemeanor false-report
> charge, which is punishable by up to two years in prison. She will be
> housed in a mental health unit at the county jail for her safety and
> because of "her not insignificant mental health issues," prosecutor
Mark
> Tranquilli said.
>
> Todd initially told investigators she was attempting to use a bank
> branch ATM on Wednesday night when a 6-foot-4 black man approached her
> from behind, put a knife blade to her throat and demanded money. She
> told police she handed the assailant $60 and walked away.
>
> Todd, who is white, told investigators she suspected the man then
> noticed a John McCain sticker on her car. She said the man punched her
> in the back of the head, knocked her to the ground and scratched a
> backward letter "B" into her face with a dull knife.
>
> Police said Todd claimed the man told her that he was going to "teach
> her a lesson" for supporting the Republican presidential candidate,
and
> that she was going to become a supporter of Democratic candidate
Barack
> Obama.
>
> Todd told police she didn't seek medical attention, but instead went
to
> a friend's apartment nearby and called police about 45 minutes later.
>
> Todd could provide no explanation for why she invented the story,
police
> said. The woman told investigators she believes she cut the "B" onto
her
> own cheek, but did not provide an explanation of how or why and said
she
> doesn't remember doing so, police said.
>
> Police said the woman reported suffering from "mental problems" in the
> past, and that they do not believe anyone put her up to the act.
>
> Tranquilli said Todd will remain jailed over the weekend pending a
> psychiatric evaluation, which won't happen until Monday at the
earliest.
>
> The Associated Press could not immediately locate Todd's family.
>
> Bryant said somebody charged with making a false report would
typically
> be cited and sent a summons. But because police have concerns about
> Todd's mental health, they are consulting with the Allegheny County
> District Attorney.
>
> Todd worked in New York for the College Republican National Committee
> before moving two weeks ago to Pennsylvania, where her duties included
> recruiting college students, the committee's executive director, Ethan
> Eilon, has said.
>
> "We are as upset as anyone to learn of her deceit, Ashley must take
full
> responsibility for her actions," College Republican National Committee
> spokeswoman Ashley Barbera said in a statement.
>
> Police reported Todd's claims Thursday, as a photo of her injuries
made
> it onto numerous blogs and news sites. By Friday, police said they had
> found inconsistencies in Todd's story. They gave her a lie-detector
> test, but wouldn't release the polygraph results.
>
> Police interviewed Todd after she contacted police Wednesday night and
> again on Thursday, Bryant said. They asked her to come back Friday,
> ostensibly to help police put together a sketch of the man. Instead,
> detectives began interviewing her.
>
> "They just started talking to her and she just opened up and said she
> wanted to tell the truth," Bryant said.
>
> Police suspected all along that Todd might not be telling the truth,
> starting with the fact that the "B" was backward, Bryant said.
>
> "We have robbers here in Pittsburgh, but they don't generally mutilate
> someone's face like that," Bryant said. "They just take the money and
> run."
>
>
>
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