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WABC Weather Anchor Suspended Pending Internal Investigation

By DNAinfo Staff on December 16, 2010 10:08am

By Jennifer Glickel

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — WABC/Channel 7 weather anchor Heidi Jones was suspended by the station after she was arrested on Monday for allegedly lying to police about how someone tried to rape her in Central Park earlier this year.

WABC-TV said Wednesday that it had suspended the meteorologist pending an internal investigation.

Jones, who anchors the local news station’s weekend evening weather and fills in on "Good Morning America," was charged on Monday with filing a false police report, the NYPD said. She was given a desk appearance ticket, which does not require that she be taken into custody, the Associated Press reported.

Jones' attorney, Paul Callan, told the AP that the weather woman would plead not guilty to any charges.

"Ms. Jones has had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist and urges all concerned to refrain from jumping to conclusions about the unproven charges against her being discussed in the press," Callan said.

Last month, Jones, 37, told police that a man grabbed her from behind while she was jogging in the park on Sept. 24. She said the same person harassed her outside her apartment Nov. 21.

The NYPD followed up on Jones' story, canvassing the area in Central Park where she claimed to have been attacked for witnesses and video, the New York Post reported. When the search came up cold, detectives spoke with Jones again and she broke down and admitted to fabricating the entire story, according to the Post.