A 45-year-old Newport News woman is facing a misdemeanor charge after deputies said she told them a man threw a chemical on her leg that caused burns after she rebuffed his advances, a story deputies now say is a lie.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s office announced in June the woman had reported the attack after she said the man approached her in the Tabb Walmart. The report said she denied the man’s request and continued shopping before going to an adjacent McDonald’s, where he was said to have approached her and thrown the liquid on her leg.
Investigators then reviewed several hours of video footage from Walmart, which showed the woman, Shawn J. Camden, had not been approached by anyone while in the store or in the area outside. The investigators did not see anyone who matched the suspect description she provided.
Camden told deputies she went directly to McDonald’s after she finished shopping at Walmart, according to a YPSO news release announcing her arrest. Video surveillance revealed she left the Walmart parking lot and went to a nearby business before leaving the area for a while and then going to the McDonald’s.
Receipts and video from the checkout area at Walmart revealed Camden purchased items consistent with the injuries she suffered. When questioned by investigators after the incident, she did not mention she purchased those items at Walmart.
Camden received a chemical burn on her left leg and cuts on her arms and legs, according to the release.
Camden faces one misdemeanor count of providing a false statement to law enforcement. She will appear in York County District Court at 8:30 a.m. July 14.
