COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A South Chicago woman who claimed she was kidnapped and forced to drink vodka earlier this week admitted she was lying when evidence didn't stack up, prosecutors said Friday.
Veronica Fuentes, 39, told police she was trying to account for time spent partying and ingesting cocaine with men she met on her way to work, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during a bond hearing.
Fuentes had filed a police report Tuesday claiming she was struck on the head as she left a CTA Pink Line station in North Lawndale on Saturday, police and prosecutors said. Fuentes claimed four men dragged her down an alley and into an abandoned house, where she was forced to drink vodka, court records show.
Fuentes allegedly told police she was only able to escape — running out of the house and hopping on a CTA bus — when the men left her alone Tuesday morning, prosecutors said.
In court Friday, Scaduto told Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas that police and Guardian Angels amped up their presence near the Pink Line station, and city crews had boarded up the abandoned home.
When Chiampas asked how much money those measures cost the city, Scaduto said it was still being calculated.
Police first started to notice holes in Fuentes' story when they reviewed CTA surveillance footage and Ventra records, Scaduto said. Fuentes first tweaked her existing story, claiming she'd actually walked instead of taking public transportation, and eventually admitted the whole thing was a lie, Scaduto said.
Fuentes, of the 8200 block of South Commercial Avenue, was charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false report.
Chiampas ordered Fuentes released on her own recognizance, and recommended that the woman be placed on electronic monitoring.
When Fuentes' attorney asked whether Fuentes could still go to work as a dental assistant while wearing an electronic bracelet, Chiampas said "if she still has a job there," she can.
Contributing: Mauricio Peña
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