'Southern Charm' Star J.D. Madison's Sexual Assault Accuser Charged With Filing False Police Report
Feb. 1 2019, Published 1:23 p.m. ET
Southern Charm star J.D. Madison was accused of sexual assault five months ago, and now his accuser, Susan Johnson, is facing charges of her own stemming from her August 2018 incident report. She has been charged with filing a false police report of a felony and is now defending her actions and maintaining her innocence.
The 43-year-old was booked before being released on her own recognizance in Charleston, SC, on Thursday, January 31.
Upon her release, her attorney Trey Harrell told People they both intend to fight the charges. “Susan is going to fight this unfair, unfounded charge,” he said.
Then Trey explained why the woman’s memories of the events seemed scattered and inconsistent. “She was severely intoxicated on the night in question and so naturally there are some inconsistencies in her recollection,” he said. “Such inconsistencies do not make her a liar, and they certainly do not make her a criminal.”
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“Susan does not remember sending any of the messages — or making any of the phone calls — that police are using as ‘evidence’ to dispute her recollection of what happened. And the fact police are charging her based on their ‘belief’ that she lied about what happened is absolutely unconscionable,” he added.
He also said he worried the charge being levied against his client “could have a chilling effect on other women who believe they have been similarly victimized.”
According to the document filed in August 2018, Susan claimed a year prior, while having drinks at J.D.’s house before heading to a bar with a group of friends, he “slipped a drug” into her glass.
She began feeling the effect of the alleged substance and began losing consciousness. She claimed she woke in the early hours of the morning to the reality star “forcibly raping and sodomizing her.” She said he only stopped the brutal attack when he got a call from his wife.