Within the past four years, Ball State has accused two students of filing false police reports of assault in the month of October.
In 2009, Karina Villa reported to police that she had been grabbed from behind on her way back to her residence hall.
On Oct. 26, 2013, a sophomore fundamentals of management and communication studies major, reported a man had pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the arm around 11:30 p.m. in the parking lot by Worthen Arena after demanding his cellphone and wallet.
Andrew Pizzano’s friend took him to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, which is where he said he filed a report with police. The university then issued one emergency notification email at 1 a.m.
After an investigation by the University Police Department, Pizzano now faces accusations of lying to police and possibly a series of events similar to what Villa faced in 2009.
Villa confessed to investigators that she falsified her report of someone grabbing her during another interview with UPD in 2009.
This interview happened after officers found inconsistencies in her report and evidence gathered. UPD then handed the case over to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.
“False reporting is a crime, and it’s a crime against the university,” Gene Burton, chief of police, said in 2009. “[Villa’s] actions caused quite a stir here on campus.”
The prosecutor’s office then charged her with obstruction of justice, a Class D felony. However, in December 2010, the charges were dropped.
Gregory Morrison, a professor of criminal justice and criminology, said in 2009 that it is important that police pursue criminal cases against people who give false information to police in order to deter future fake reports.
“It sends a distorted message as to what is actually occurring, and then also, the police end up spending time on something that didn’t happen, which means they can’t be spending their time, their money, on something that did happen,” Morrison said.
In general, David Fried, then-director of student rights and community standards, said in 2009 that before disciplinary action is taken, the university evaluates things such as the student’s prior disciplinary record and the details of the case.
Pizzano has not publicly responded to the university’s accusation. The university does not have plans to press charges against Pizzano, said Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications.
“Any disciplinary action that he may or may not face will be handled by the student judiciary process,” he said.
The university will not discuss any medical or disciplinary issues publicly.
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