City of Fernandina Beach Police Department
Press Release
June 18, 2012
"The Fernandina Beach Police Department is continuing to investigate an incident where a local woman, 32 year old Jennifer Richert, reported being the victim of a sexual assault at Main Beach on May 30th. Richert was arrested on Friday and charged with filing a false police report. She was being held in the Nassau County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
Detectives were able to discount the victim’s story through investigative means and the victim has since recanted her statement, claiming that the sexual assault at Main Beach never occurred.
The victim further advised that she fabricated the story of sexual assault, and she acknowledged having deliberately mis-identified an innocent man she described as a homeless person.
Detectives are continuing to work through the many inconsistencies provided by Richert in an attempt to arrive at a possible motive for making such a sensational claim.
According to Police Chief Jim Hurley, Fernandina Beach Police Detective Tracy Hamilton did a tremendous job of tracking the woman’s movements, finding an independent witness, and using technology to determine that the real timeline would mean that the report could not have been accurate.
Her experience as a competent investigator allowed her to patiently work through the case, which resulted in a false story being exposed, rather than an innocent man going to jail for a felony crime."
Editor's Note: Richert is no longer listed as an inmate in the Nassau County Jail.
June 18, 2012 1:25 p.m.