When charges for domestic violence and similar assault offenses are reported, the natural reaction by many is to assume that they are legitimate. This is especially true when a woman is making the accusations about her boyfriend. Unfortunately, anyone can make these allegations and sometimes people take advantage of this.

The Olympian reports a woman, Ivy Rukin, who was arrested in Olympia for harassing her ex-boyfriend with texts and calls from a blocked number in an attempt to get a domestic violence protection order lifted. The relationship ended 4 years earlier which prompted Rutkin to desperately try to get her ex's attention back. These attempts include three false reports of assault.

In 2008, 2010 and in 2012, Rutkin called the police and reported that she was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. In all three reports his name was eventually cleared. The most recent accusation revealed that not only was Rutkin not an assault victim, she was actually seen by public cameras chasing her ex down the street.

Rutkin's latest scheme was to text her ex-boyfriend while pretending to be another woman who was interested in dating him on the condition that he drop the stalking charges against Rutkin. Police found at least 7 cell phones in Rutkin's apartment including the one that was sending messages as this other woman.

Cases like this are a real eye opener for some. Sadly, there are some people who will use domestic violence laws to make an ex look back or in a misguided attempt to ‘get their attention'. Not all false reports are as obvious as in this case either. Even if criminal charges are not filed, abusers can actually use the threat of reporting an assault against their victims as a way to make them  look bad or affect their child custody status.