$1.5 Million Paid to Woman Raped at Gunpoint by Pittsburgh Police
$1.5 Million Paid to Woman Raped at Gunpoint by Pittsburgh Police
In 2012, the Cranberry Township police settled a suit against Detective Frank Evanson for allegedly ordering blood work on a rape victim. He then knowingly filed false criminal charges, arrested the victim, held her on pretrial detention, and subjected her to criminal prosecution.
Then 19-year-old Sara Reedy, a cashier at JG Gulf Station, was held at gunpoint, robbed and forced to give oral sex to a man in the Pittsburgh gas station. After the robbery and rape, the man escaped. She ran to a nearby automotive service station and contacted the police. She was taken to UPMC Passavant hospital for treatment and examination for gathering evidence.
Evans was the investigator and from the outset he believed Reedy fabricated the crime. At the hospital, he ordered additional blood tests without her consent. He informed his supervisors that Reedy was uncooperative and untruthful. He repeatedly tried to get Reedy to change her statement after she detailed the events. With his partner Detective Kevin Meyer, he pressured, threatened and intimidated her into confessing to the crime.
Reedy remained steadfast to the truth and endured Evanson's actions against her, including 5-days in jail, false allegations to her employer, which led to her being fired, and constant harassment. Her complaints about Evanson were ignored by his superiors. Evanson and the police department failed to investigate or connect other reported rapes to her crime.
A year later, Reedy's attacker was apprehended after committing a similar crime against another woman. The attacker eventually confessed to the crime against Reedy.
Reedy filed a civil suit against Evanson for violating her Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments rights. A $1.5 million settlement was reached, to be paid over a 15 year period. Attorney David V. Weicht and Andrew L. Blattenberger of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania represented Reedy.
See: Reedy v. Evanson, et al. U.S.D.C. (W.D. PA), Case No. 2:06-CV-01080-DSC
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Related legal case
Reedy v. Evanson
| Year | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Cite | U.S.D.C. (W.D. PA), Case No. 2:06-CV-01080-DSC |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Damages | 1,500,000 |