Police: Ballwin Woman Fabricates Robbery for Boyfriend

A woman from Ballwin was arrested this month for filing a false police report about assault and stolen jewelry, which police said the woman sold herself to a scrap dealer.

Ballwin resident Brittany Rae Harper, 24, of the 600 block of Towerwood Drive, reported to police that around 3:30 p.m. on April 4, she returned home from walking her dog only to be confronted by a white male. Harper told police that the man forced her to the floor and held her there until he and another, unseen subject fled the home with several pieces of jewelry and cash worth $4,900.

Harper was taken to a local hospital where she was released with no apparent injuries. She also provided a very basic, non-detailed description of one of the suspects to police, law enforcement said; a composite sketch based on Harper’s description showed the suspect as a white male with a short beard and goatee. 

Sgt. Jim Heldmann of the said his department conducted a thorough search of the surrounding area but no neighbors reported seeing anything suspicious in the area at the time of the alleged robbery.

On April 5, Harper contacted police again to say she saw a suspicious person walking near her home who looked like the man who assaulted her. Further investigation by police, however, revealed that the stolen jewelry was sold to a scrap dealer who had photos of the jewelry and the driver’s license of the seller, who was identified as Brittany Rae Harper.

Police said Harper was interrogated and confessed to selling the jewelry to obtain money for her out-of-state boyfriend.