Woman who accused Bellevue police chief of rape a no-show in court
Jan 2, 2019, 5:21 PM
(KIRO Radio)
(KIRO Radio)
Idunn Schneider, the woman charged for falsely accusing Bellevue’s police chief of rape, was a no show for her first court appearance.
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King County prosecutors issued a bench warrant for Schneider set at a $10,500 bail, when she failed to show up for her arraignment on Monday, Dec. 31.
The Issaquah woman is facing charges of malicious prosecution and tampering with physical evidence, after investigators say she falsely accused Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett of rape, accused Bellevue Police Officer John Kivlin of violating a no-contact order, and fabricated evidence to support both claims.
King County prosecutors filed charges against Schneider in December, describing the ordeal as “a sophisticated ruse to deceive Kivlin, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the court in order to have Kivlin taken into custody and charged with additional crimes.
All charges against Kivlin and Mylett were dropped in October following a months-long investigation. Mylett, who was removed from his position as police chief when the charges were originally filed in August, was quickly reinstated.
“They have zero evidence that Mylett even met this woman, and also evidence that she made up the allegations,” said KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott back in October.
The allegations against Mylett originally came to light when investigators were poring through text messages between Schneider and Kivlin, where she stated that she previously had sex with his boss.
When Kivlin asked who she meant, the woman texted back, “it’s your boss … boss,” suggesting Mylett. The specific criminal allegations against Mylett were not made public, but the investigation was handled by the Bothell Police Department, where the crime was alleged to have occurred.
Prosecutors say at this point Schneider’s whereabouts are unknown.
RELATED: Woman charged in ‘sophisticated ruse’ to implicate Bellevue cops
