(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — An Erie TV news anchor and reporter has been arrested after allegedly making false reports of stalking.
Haley Potter, 24, of Erie was charged and arraigned on July 11 after investigators allege Potter had fabricated claims of stalking which led to a three-month investigation.
Pennsylvania State Police allege that in April, Potter had reported to the PSP Erie station that she had been a victim of ongoing stalking and harassment from an unknown person. According to the PSP report, Potter said she had first received text messages followed by phone calls and voicemails. Potter said the text messages showed the unknown person had extensive knowledge about her whereabouts at all times. A handwritten note was then slid under her apartment door. She received flowers from the unknown person at the TV station where she worked.
Potter had orchestrated the whole thing, PSP alleges. There was no unknown person.
“It was revealed that Potter had been responsible for all of the messages and stalker activity she reported having been the victim of,” the PSP report says. “The entire incident had been falsified by Potter and she misled the Pennsylvania State Police over the course of a three-month investigation.”
Potter was charged with forgery, criminal use of a communication facility, access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, identity theft, false swearing to mislead a public servant, unsworn falsification to authorities, false reports to law enforcement implicating another person, false reports to law enforcement reporting an offense that did not occur, tampering/fabricating physical evidence, and disorderly conduct.
Potter’s lawyer, Charbel Latouf, sent us the following statement, “We have no comment at this time other than we intend to defend against the allegations.”
