YULEE, Fla. -- A woman is under investigation for making a false report against one of the candidates for sheriff.
According to an incident report with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, the woman claimed Bill Leeper touched her inappropriately in the parking lot of a Winn-Dixie store in Yulee on the night of August 6. The woman told deputies she had personal knowledge of the suspect and had met him several times in person.
The very next day, according to the report, the woman said she wanted to dismiss all accusations in her previous statement.
On August 8, the woman reported that she "believes she has made a mistake on the suspect information provided to th edeputies the night of the report."
While investigating the initial claim, Nassau County detectives collected evidence to show the suspect was not in the area at the time of the alleged incident and had no contact with the victim.
"This evidence contradicts the reported incident," wrote the detective in his report.
A detective contacted the woman about her claim. She told the detective that three state attorney detectives came to her home unannounced at 9 p.m. on the night of August 8. She told investigators the detectives made her feel very uncomfortable and that she felt she was being interrogated, according to the report. The woman said she no longer wanted to talk with detectives at the sheriff's office and planned to seek legal counsel.
Leeper gave Action News a statement about the matter.
"I was very disappointed to hear that someone would fabricate a complaint which, to my knowledge, has been unfounded," wrote Leeper. "I do not have any further information regarding this issue."No arrests have been made.
Leeper is a former spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol. He is running for Nassau County Sheriff and has the backing of both Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford and State Attorney Angela Corey.
The other candidates are Chris Hartley, Garland Rhoden, and Steve Whitley. Click here for election information in Nassau County.
