SANTA CRUZ — A 20-year-old woman who admitted to fabricating a rape report at UC Santa Cruz solicited her attacker on Craigslist in exchange for sex, prosecutors said.

Morgan Triplett, a student at UC Santa Barbara, pleaded not guilty on Friday to a misdemeanor charge of making a false police report. She was ordered not to use the Internet except for schoolwork and continue mental health counseling.

In Santa Cruz County Superior Court, prosecutor Johanna Schonfield said Triplett’s mental health problems played a role in the staged attack.

“Ms. Triplett essentially orchestrated this event,” Schonfield said in court. “This case caused a lot of widespread fear in the community.”

Triplett — who appeared in court with her father and looked down for much of the hearing — faces up to six months in jail if convicted.

She also faces court-ordered counseling and potential restitution to UC Santa Cruz police who facilitated a composite sketch, provided extra patrols and other services. The Feb. 17 report of Triplett’s beating and purported rape kept many students on the campus on edge.

Schonfield said the prosecution was not necessarily aimed at sending a message about false police reports, but “about doing justice.”

On Feb. 16, Triplett broke up with a boyfriend and posted ads twice on Craigslist that day for someone to harm her, prosecutors said.

“I am looking for a gun owner to shoot me in the arm/shoulder with the smallest caliber bullet possible,” according to the post, which was quoted in court records.

“No charges will be filed and I am willing to compensate you. I need this to happen tonight, Feb. 16.”

A second post that night titled “Seeking Strong Hand” said she wanted someone to “beat me up,” including “punches, bruises and kicks.”

Several men replied and a man came to the UCSC campus on Feb. 17. Triplett had been at UCSC to attend a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender conference, prosecutors said.

Schonfield said Triplett met the man on campus and he agreed to beat her in exchange for sex.

“They had sex and afterwards she used a cellphone screen reflection as a mirror to see if the injuries were bad enough and then directed him to hit her some more,” according to court records.

The man left and Triplett called 911, saying that she was looking for banana slugs on a path when a man attacked and raped her.

Police responded and Triplett was transported to Dominican hospital for her injuries, which included bruises to her head and torso, police said.

At the hospital, Triplett told authorities that she did not want her clothing taken for evidence, which “raised red flags in the minds of investigators,” according to court records.

Triplett also asked that DNA samples taken from her body not be sent to the Department of Justice for tests, which also raised suspicions about the attack.

After news of the attack — which supposedly happened at 12:30 p.m. — several community meetings were convened on the UCSC campus. Police started a late-night shuttle service and warned people to be vigilant for the suspect.

On Feb. 28, UCSC police Chief Nader Oweis said the report was fabricated. Triplett admitted to police the report was false.

During the investigation, authorities talked to the man who attacked Triplett. He is not expected to be prosecuted, Schonfield said.

Triplett is due in court May 23 for a preliminary hearing in front of Judge John Gallagher, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to hold a trial.

Triplett was never arrested or jailed. She was released from court on Friday and declined to speak to reporters.