Probation Rejected In False Rape Case At Sacred Heart University

FAIRFIELD, CT — The former Sacred Heart University student accused of falsely reporting being raped by two former football players at the school was denied a pretrial probation program by a Superior Court judge on Friday, according to the Connecticut Post. Nikki Yovino, 19, of South Setauket, Long Island, was arrested in February after Bridgeport Police say she recanted her original story, which alleged that the two men raped her in a basement bathroom at a house party on Lakeside Drive in Bridgeport on Oct. 14, 2016.

The judge, who said the false report is “lethal to all true victims,” continued the case to Nov. 14, according to the Post. Yovino, who was 18 at the time of the incident, has been charged with second-degree filing a false report and tampering with evidence.

The lawyers for the victims objected to Yovino to receiving accelerated rehabilitation, which would have seen the charges dropped if she successfully completed probation. Yovino’s lawyers said there are defenses they expect to exercise down the road, according to the Post.

Yovino initially reported to Bridgeport Police last October that she was sexually assaulted by a Sacred Heart University football player and another man who was a former student.

Police say they conducted a thorough investigation and met several times with Sacred Heart administrators.

"Initial statements from witnesses and evidence recovered from the scene suggested that a sexual assault had occurred," Bridgeport Police said in a press release following the arrest. "As the investigation continued, the case detective received more information that contradicted Yovino's statements to police. This information included new witness accounts, text messages and cell phone video. Yovino was confronted with this evidence, and admitted that she, in fact, did have consensual sex with both males."

Read more about Friday’s court appearance at the Connecticut Post here.

Photo via the Bridgeport Police Department