Clemson student who says she was raped at fraternity house charged with filing false report

Clemson student Sarah Katherine Campbell, 18, was arrested Wednesday on charges of falsely reporting that she had been raped at a fraternity house in January. (Oconee Sheriff's Office)

A Clemson student has been arrested after deputies say she falsely accused a man of raping her at a fraternity house party.

Sarah Katherine Campbell, 18, was arrested Wednesday and charged with filing a false police report of a felony, according to Jimmy Watt, a spokesman for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina.

In a brief interview, Campbell, of Herndon, Va., denied falsely reporting a sexual assault, the Anderson Independent Mail reported Thursday.

"I’m a victim of sexual assault," Campbell said. "This story is being blown out of proportion, and that’s all I can say."

Campbell did not respond to a Facebook message from Fox News, seeking comment.

Deputies began investigating after she reported being attacked at the Delta Chi Fraternity House near the Clemson campus in the early morning hours of Jan. 27.

She lodged the complaint with campus police, who contacted deputies.

Reports in January said the suspect was not a Clemson student. He was never charged.

Watt said after deputies interviewed Campbell, the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's office Criminal Investigations Unit.

“As the investigation continued and evidence was gathered in the case and based upon that evidence, it was determined that the sexual relations between Campbell and the male at the Fraternity House was consensual and that Campbell had not been truthful in the information that she provided to the investigator in the case,” Watt said.

“Based upon that evidence, the investigator had probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant against Campbell,” he said.

All fraternity social events were suspended by Clemson's self-governing Interfraternity Council while the investigation was being conducted, the Independent Mail reported.  The president of the council, Landon Flowers, said on Twitter that his group was committed to "holding our members to a higher standard."

Campbell was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center and released on $5,000 bond.