Michigan woman who lied during arrest that police had raped her pleads guilty

BAY CITY, MI — An Isabella County woman was arrested for assault, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the police officer who arrested her. Video footage refuted her claims, earning her a felony charge in federal court.

The woman recently pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

Nichole L. Chippewa, 33, appeared before U.S. District Judge Patricia T. Morris on May 23 and pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or obstructing officers, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The indictment replaced a charge that Chippewa had been facing since April 1: falsely reporting a crime. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison.

According to an affidavit filed by an FBI special agent, Chippewa was arrested by a Saginaw Chippewa Tribe police officer on a charge of assault on January 28. The arrest stemmed from an incident on the Isabella Indian Reservation, where Chippewa himself was a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe.

As the officer was taking Chippewa to the Isabella County Jail for booking, she accused him of sexually assaulting her in the back seat of his patrol car. The officer denied this.

That same day, two Michigan State Police troopers arrived at the prison to investigate the case. Chippewa repeated her story to them and accused the trooper of committing a crime.

Investigators reviewed video footage from the patrol car and were able to conclude that no sexual assault had occurred, the affidavit states.

According to the agreement, Chippewa admitted to violently and willfully resisting arrest. The agreement does not mention that Chippewa claimed the officer sexually assaulted her.

The sentencing date for Chippewa is still pending.