What did Renee Dawn Skoglund do? South Dakota woman pleads guilty to fabricating assault allegations

Renee Dawn Skoglund, a 30-year-old married woman from South Dakota, pleaded guilty last week to fabricating s*xual assault allegations to get a free STD test after an extra-marital affair.

Renee Dawn Skoglund was arrested in March 2023 after she called 911 and reported a false claim that a male suspect bound her arms and legs with a rope and assaulted her in her vehicle after she pulled over to the side of I-75 over some car trouble.

Authorities said that a subsequent investigation into the claim revealed Skoglund had consensual relations with a person in Hillsborough County at the time of the call. The 30-year-old married woman, who was riddled with guilt following the encounter, reportedly fabricated the assault claim to get a free test for an STD.

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Renee Dawn Skoglund was sentenced to two years of community control and ordered to pay restitution

Last week, prosecutors said that Renee Dawn Skoglund was sentenced to two years of community control and eight years of probation over fabricating assault allegations. In addition, Skoglund was ordered to pay $17,245.26 in restitution for wasting police resources in chasing down her fabricated r*pe claim. According to WTVT, during the sentencing, Judge Laura Ward said:

“I have never sentenced somebody for perjury, but it’s a good reminder to everyone that perjury is a crime and all the stuff you made up and the resources expended on it, could’ve been used and probably needed to be used, by other cases that were real.”

Skoglund, who was accused of orchestrating an assault to conceal her extramarital affair, reportedly called 911 in March, wanting to get tested for free for an STD.

In 911 audio released by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Skoglund told dispatchers she was visiting the area from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and driving along Interstate 75 when she had to pull over because of car troubles.

Skoglund claimed that shortly after, a man blindfolded her before forcing her inside the vehicle. The alleged assailant then supposedly tied her up with a rope before s*xually assaulting her inside the car. In the 911 call, an audibly upset Skoglund said:

“I was just r*ped, like 45 minutes ago.”

While investigating the claim, detectives reportedly found surveillance tape from Walmart that showed Skoglund purchasing a rope just eight hours before the alleged attack. Authorities said that Skoglund confessed after she was confronted with the evidence. In a statement, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said:

"Following this discovery, detectives recovered video from multiple places Mrs. Skoglund visited in the time surrounding the attack, refuting her initial statement. [Skoglund] attempted to change her statements before eventually admitting to fabricating the entire incident."

At the time of her arrest in March, Sheriff Chad Chronister slammed Skoglund for diverting attention from actual victims of s*xual assault. He said:

“This case is truly disheartening. There are far too many victims faced with this type of trauma. This woman took advantage of our 911 emergency line and diverted attention from actual victims who need the viable resources available in these investigative scenarios.”

Multiple reports stated that Renee Dawn Skoglund was married at the time of the incident. Her present relationship status is unclear.