Glore Case: Shut and Open
An update on the Virginia Glore Case
By Jordan Smith, Fri., Feb. 8, 2002
On Jan. 31, the Travis County Attorney's Office agreed to dismiss the two criminal charges pending against alleged rape victim Virginia Glore. In August of 2000, Glore was charged with criminal mischief and driving while intoxicated. "We're delighted," Glore said. "Me and the kids are tickled pink."
Glore was arrested on Aug. 4, 2000, after she crashed her husband's car outside a South Congress motel. Officials from the Austin Police Dept. and the County Attorney's Office say Glore wrecked her car because she was drunk. While Glore admitted she had been drinking, she maintains she was drugged in a Sixth Street bar and then transported to the motel, where she believes she was raped. Glore said she believes she was fleeing her attackers at the time of the car wreck. But APD officials claim Glore fabricated her rape allegation to evade the DWI charge. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Glore was twice denied access to a rape test kit by APD -- a test that in theory could've helped both Glore and the APD resolve the rape allegation (see "Raped Twice?" Oct. 12, 2001).
Prosecutors agreed to drop both charges and in return, Glore has agreed to attend counseling sessions -- both alcohol counseling and psychological. Further, prosecutors stipulated that they would drop the charges against Glore pursuant to an "agreement for truthful testimony in on-going investigation." Exactly what on-going investigation the prosecutors were alluding to, however, remains a mystery. "I don't feel it's appropriate for me to comment until the point that what facts are known may be disclosed," said County Attorney Ken Oden. Glore's lawyer Keith Taniguchi also declined to comment on whether the stipulation refers to an investigation related to her original rape allegation, or to yet another investigation that may or may not be connected to the original incident.
In either event, the case doesn't appear to be concluded. Glore and her attorneys say they are exploring the possibility of filing a civil suit against the APD on a civil rights charge, for repeatedly denying Glore access to the rape test.
