Vanessa Roussel was charged Tuesday with public mischief for allegedly lying to the Sureté du Québec about being raped at knifepoint at a highway rest stop.
Roussel, a New Brunswick native who works in Quebec City, told police on June 21 that she stopped near St-Michel-de-Bellechasse – just east of Lévis – and was then attacked by two men.
SQ officer Richard Gagne said that officers began to doubt her story, and when evidence gathered at the site of the supposed sexual assault didn't seem right, they questioned the woman again.
The supposed assault led Transport Quebec to examine the possibility of beefing up security at highway rest stops, and prompted police to release two portraits of men they now believe do not exist.
Roussel will undergo psychological testing next week. Her lawyer claims that she suffers from bipolar disorder.
With files from The Canadian Press
