Sherita Dixon-Cole, a 37-year-old woman from northeast Texas, was pulled over early Sunday by a Department of Public Safety officer who suspected her of driving while intoxicated.
The story Dixon-Cole spun afterward was alarming: She claimed the trooper repeatedly told her he'd let her go in exchange for sexual favors. When she said no, she claimed the trooper sexually assaulted her, according to a statement Monday from her attorney.
Her story was widely shared on social media, aided by social activist and blogger Shaun King, who recently brought attention to the New York lawyer who made xenophobic comments about Spanish-speaking employees at a New York deli. King wrote in a blog post: "This system was not designed to protect us - it was designed to punish us - and for it to do anything other than that - we must force it work on our behalf."
Lee Merritt, Dixon-Cole's Dallas-based attorney, apologized for her claims in a statement Wednesday, saying the footage conflicted with what was reported to him.
"It is deeply troubling when innocent parties are falsely accused and I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have caused Officer Hubbard and his family," he wrote. "I take full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern."
Merritt thanked those who voiced their demands for justice in the wake of the falsified incident.
King, who has worked with a number of anti-police brutality and misconduct causes including Black Lives Matter and is now a columnist for national security news site The Intercept, appears to have deleted his tweet sharing Dixon-Cole's allegations. On Wednesday, he tweeted that the body camera footage "does not appear to show any verbal threats, sexual assault, or police brutality." He also amended his blog post to acknowledge the body camera footage.
He was credited with identifying at least two of the attackers, The Post's Ian Shapira reported.
King disagreed.
"This is not unthinkable," he wrote. "I have seen it happen before, but it absolutely does not appear to happen here. Outside of personal information being blurred out, the video appears to be in its original form."
He went on to write that in the United States, tens of thousands of people are assaulted, abused, falsely arrested and threatened by police. But, he wrote, Dixon-Cole is not one of those victims:
"She victimized the man she falsely accused and she victimized those who stood up for her - believing that she had experienced the worst crimes. Thankfully, she does not represent anyone but herself. She does not represent actual victims of sex crimes. She does not represent actual victims of police brutality. And she does not represent black women or black people. An awful tendency exists in this country to hold all people of color responsible for the transgressions of one person in that group. That's racism and it must be rejected here. We reject what Sherita Dixon-Cole has done here. It's awful."
Neither Dixon-Cole nor the trooper could be immediately reached by The Post for comment.
The Texas DPS said in a statement that it was authorized by the Ellis County District Attorney's Office to release the body camera footage after "spurious and false accusations" were brought against the trooper.
"The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the egregious and unsubstantiated accusations against the Trooper during the DWI arrest of the suspect," officials said. "The Department is appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public."
It is not clear whether Dixon-Cole will face criminal charges for her accusations. Ellis County District Attorney Patrick Wilson told the Dallas Morning News Wednesday that his office was still investigating "what was said and who it was said to."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Girl, 12, Dies After Parents Use Smoothies, Vitamins To Treat Injuries 24-Year-Old US Man Arrested For Giving 4-Month-Old Baby Gasoline To Drink This US School Has Banned All-Black Outfits Over Mental Health Concerns Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Private Jets, Luxury Cars: Lavish Life Of "Ketamine Queen" Jasveen Sangha Bill Gates Calls India A "Global Leader In Breakthrough Innovations" Can Siddaramaiah Government Survive MUDA Scam Allegations? Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.