2 women lied about attack on Livermore’s Arroyo Trail, cops say

Two women made up reports that they were sexually assaulted days apart on the popular Arroyo Trail in Livermore, police said Friday.

No decision has yet been made on whether the women will face criminal charges of filing a false police report, said Livermore police Lt. John Hurd.

Hurd noted that police must treat every victim as credible, and they do not want to dissuade people who have truly been attacked from coming forward. At the same time, the public must be made aware when someone lies in such a serious report, he said.

About 6 p.m. Tuesday, a 29-year-old Livermore woman told police she had been walking on the trail near Arroyo Road when a man approached from behind and grabbed her. She said the man sexually assaulted her before fleeing.

Police worked the case and publicized the incident on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday night, detectives met with the woman to discuss the evidence, police said. At that meeting, she “disclosed that she had fabricated the entire incident, and that no assault of any type had occurred,” Hurd said.

On the same night the woman admitted to making up her story, a 23-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted on the same trail. Police searched the area as part of the investigation. On Friday, the woman recanted her statement and admitted that she, too, had made up the attack, Hurd said.

The two women do not know each other, authorities said.

Police are still investigating other incidents on the trail that they are treating as legitimately reported attacks.

In May 2013, and again last May and August, three sexual assaults occurred in the same area, police said. In each case the women were approached by men who grabbed them and abused them before running off.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee