Nebraska probation officer charged with making false report

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska probation officer who reported being kidnapped and robbed is charged with lying about what happened.

31-year-old Mara Stamp is charged in Buffalo County Court with tampering with physical evidence and false reporting after initially accusing her former probation client, 35-year-old Shawn Smith, of coming to her Kearney house and taking her to an ATM where he forced her to withdraw money.

Court records say the pair was in a romantic relationship and that Smith had been living at Stamp’s house for about 30 days before he found her in bed with another man on Dec. 18. That man called the police.

Officers later stopped a vehicle in which Smith and Stamp were riding. Smith smelled of alcohol and Stamp had an abrasion on her lower lip.

Stamp initially denied any relationship with Smith. But police later located some of Smith’s paintings in the back seat of her vehicle. Police also found that messages between them had been deleted from Stamp’s phone.

Stamp has since resigned from her job as a probation officer.

And a prosecutor dropped kidnapping and robbery charges against Smith last week. However, he still faces several other charges, including third-degree assault and driving under the influence.