Asked 8/16/2016 – Hondo, TX

My boyfriend and I got into a fight because I was trying to commit suicide and his attempts to stop me angered me to the point that I called 911 but threw the phone and didn’t talk to anyone. They only heard yelling and nothing that would cause concern. The police showed up arrested him, barged into our house without knocking, started hammering me with questions that were asked in an accusing way, started going through all of our stuff asking where his “stash” was and paying no mind to me. At one point they even tried going through my phone. I was a frantic mess because all of a sudden I had at least 10 officers in my tiny house crowded around me asking what happened and I felt pressured to tell them this elaborate story about how he abused me which isn’t true. I was embarrassed and didn’t want them to see me as crazy especially in a small town. They took pictures of marks from him trying to stop me and bruises that were not from him. I didn’t know the consequences of my actions when I called and of course I regret it. I never wrote a statement or filed charges. If I try to get the prosecutor to drop it by telling the truth and explaining why I lied can I be charged with perjury?

Answer

Perjury does not apply to your situation because you were not under oath, but the charge of false report to a peace officer definitely applies (See Texas Penal Code Section 37.08). Once the police are called, you lose control over how anything proceeds after that. It is concerning, however, that if you lied to police, and that your boyfriend did nothing but attempt to save your life, you are more concerned about what will happen to you, not him. Please talk with a professional about your emotional situation.