Charges Brought Against Seiler

Audrey Seiler - the Wisconsin student who faked her own abduction is now being charged.

Audrey Seiler, the University of Wisconsin sophomore accused of staging her own disappearance last month, was charged Wednesday with two misdemeanor counts of obstructing officers.

Each charge carries a jail sentence up to nine months and a maximum fine of $10,0000.

Good - I hope they give her the maximum on each count, for a reason I have not seen mentioned in ANY news story... The description of the non-existent abductor. Seems like a pretty silly reason to want every book available thrown at her, so let me explain.

She gave a description of a man, the police were out looking for him. What if they had FOUND a man who fit that description in that area? Any idea what would have happened? Think about this for a minute. Any guy arrested for this would immediately have had his entire life ruined!

This case was receiving nationwide attention. Every reporter and their brother would want the story of who, what, when, where, and how, had an arrest taken place. It might have taken them a couple of hours tops to find out the man's name and all the details of his life - and plaster them across television screens around the world.

While the police questioned him and tried to get him to "confess", his name would be dragged through the mud. And what if he had a family? What would they have done? Kids? A job? Would his friends and enemies have been courted by reporters? You bet. You all KNOW that the reporters wouldn't have held back to see if it was the right person.

Then when dear Audrey's story had fallen apart, the poor guy would have been let go with an "oh sorry, guess she was lying". The reporters would've packed up and left - with no apology to the man (cause Hey they were just doing their job - right?). And the man would have to try picking up the pieces monetarily, physically, and emotionally.

So, yeah, considering the total amount of damage she could have inflicted on someone else's life, I think they should give her the maximum penalty - and even that isn't enough.

The reason this bothers me so much is because I remember something similar happening here in the Chicago area. You may have heard of the "Brown's Chicken Murders" which happened about 8 or 9 years ago. At the time, they arrested a man who lived in our neighborhood because he had worked there and had been fired recently and had a fight with the store managers before he left. Well, when 7 people turned up dead - shot execution style - they arrested this guy and questioned him for 2 days. They finally had to let him go because he wouldn't confess and they didn't have enough to hold him.

In the meantime, the press had done a complete number on this guy. Talked to his "friends", showed portions of a video tape he made as a joke with them, etc, etc, etc. He ended up moving out west somewhere to get away from the publicity. Ponder that - just think if you were in that position... Going about your life and BAM - you are arrested for something you didn't do. When it's all over, it's impossible to stay where you are. You have to go start over somewhere else with little or no warning that it's coming. Scary thought isn't it.

About a year ago - 2 OTHER men - never suspected, were arrested for the murders, after a former girlfriend turned them in. The DNA evidence which they now have the technology to get at, showed that they were there that night. They committed the murders, just because. And another man's life was ruined, just because.

It's damned easy to ruin a life and nearly impossible to restore what was lost. Anyone who would participate in something like that deserves the highest penalty we can throw at them. The fact that someone wasn't arrested in the Seiler case is just shear luck.

Comments

[pam]

I wondered if they'd charge her; I'm glad they did. She must be made to take responsibility for her lies, the money she's cost the state and the time looking for her and the 'mystery man'.

Yeah, I feel like a harda**.

[Tammi]

Thanks for the update.

They need to throw the book at her and charge her back the money wasted (as Pam suggested).

There have been too many people abusing situations in this manner. The girl that called in the bomb threat so she didn't have to go on vacation with a guy she was going to break up with. The kids that called in a bomb scare to the cruise line, I could go on and on. This falls into the same category in my mind.

And the possible ramifications to whomever they pinned this on are horrific (as you described). A slap on the wrist won't do it this time.

[Harvey]

I'm thinking a public flogging.

And not the happy kind, either :-/