This is a developing story. Stick with The Post for more details.
As the story of an alleged rape on Court Street being taped and posted to social media made headlines around world this week, one Ohio University student saw her name being circulated online as the victim.
Rachel Cassidy, a sophomore studying journalism, was falsely identified as the victim shown in photos and video posted online this past Sunday, OU Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones said.
Hall-Jones said Cassidy is “100 percent” not the woman involved in incident, which occurred on at Chase bank, 2 S. Court St., on Saturday.
The OU student who did file a rape complaint with Athens Police did so after a video showing a man performing oral sex on her circulated on Instagram, and her name has not been made public by the university or police.
Cassidy, a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, told The Post Saturday that she hadn't left her house at all and that she's deactivated all of her social media accounts. The university has excused her from going to class.
Cassidy’s contact information — which had included an email address and phone number — was removed from the OU student directory at her family’s request, Hall-Jones said.
"I was nowhere near where the incident occurred (Saturday)," Cassidy said. "I have no idea why I was targeted."
Athens and OU were the subject of news reports from coast to coast Wednesday when the Associated Press wrote an article that appeared on newspapers’ websites, including The Washington Post, USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle.
APD’s investigation is still ongoing, and Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle previously said consent is a main factor in the case.
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@akarl_smith
