Local News: Police: Bollinger County woman told multiple lies in multiple investigations, including sexual assault (4/18/24)

BOLLINGER COUNTY – Police say a Bollinger County woman told numerous lies during an investigation into sexual assault and battery in a complex and escalating scheme targeting the mother of her fiance’s child.

Michelle D. Kaempfer of Glen Allen is accused of multiple counts in separate-but-related cases: perjury; forgery; destroying physical evidence in criminal prosecutions; first degree harassment; stalking in the first degree; making a false report; and theft.

The charges stem from an earlier investigation in which Kaempfer claimed she was being harassed by her fiancee’s ex-boyfriend.

In September, Kaempfer called the sheriff’s office, claiming an unknown man with a flashlight was banging on her back door, police said in a probable cause statement in one of the cases. Kaempfer told the officer he had a protective order against the mother of his fiance’s child. Kaempfer’s fiancee told police she believed her ex-boyfriend was “responsible” for a man at the residence who was sent to threaten Kaempfer in retaliation for getting a protective order, according to the document. Her fiancé said she had received a text message from an unknown phone number “about a man being afraid of Kaempfer”.

Kaempfer’s fiancée’s mother told a Bollinger County sheriff’s deputy that she also received text messages from an unknown phone number that contained death and rape threats against Kaempfer and her daughter. The phone number, which was not identified, also sent a message to the fiancé claiming that the mother of his child still loves him and misses being part of his family.

Two days later, Kaempfer released more information involving “an extensive history of abuse that she had received over a year”, identifying her ex-boyfriend as the abuser via text messaging apps. He claimed he was being teased for a cancer diagnosis; The text said he deserved to die, and threats of death and rape were made, according to the document.

During the interview, Kaempfer said some of the abuse she experienced occurred in the Advance School District where she said she previously worked. He claimed the harassment led to his dismissal. The harassment also prevented him from receiving a promotion at his current workplace, Saint Francis Medical Center, the documents state.

However, upon further investigation, Bollinger County officials discovered Kaempfer had never worked for the Advance School District; and that Kaempfer lied about a possible promotion at work. They said Kaempfer provided a pseudonym for his supervisor. The phone number he gave the fake supervisor was Kaempfer’s direct number, court documents allege. Other Saint Francis employees said no one by the name of the administrator Kaempfer gave to officials working at the hospital, according to the documents.

On January 17, Kaempfer came forward with more allegations, this time of theft and sexual assault. In that case, he said that two unknown men broke into his house through the window, and one of the men later raped him. Among the evidence collected was a framed wedding photo with the words “No Cops” on it. Police also took pictures of a message written in black marker on Kaempfer’s leg referring to a warning not to contact the police.

During a subsequent interview about the sexual assault, according to Capt. Nick Becker, Kaempfer “gave information to me referring to false statements he had made in a separate investigation. … Kaempfer informed me that the information he had given referring to the two men was false. Kaempfer maintained that an assault had occurred but he said it was only one person and that he knocked on the door before he opened the door for him.

On January 30, Kaempfer admitted to police that he had written a letter from work signed under a pseudonym, adding that he “wasn’t truthful about the reports he made at the beginning of this investigation. Kaempfer also informed me that he had sent himself one abusive message on January 29, 2024. However , said he did not send harassing messages to his fiancee or his fiancee’s mother,” according to the report.

At that time, Kaempfer was arrested.

During a subsequent interview, while he was being held in the Bollinger County Jail, he “confirmed that he was the only suspect in the entire investigation and that he had fabricated physical evidence and written statements related to the investigation. Additionally, he informed me that he had written to her own leg along with a wedding photo that was considered evidence during the assault investigation. However, she maintained that sexual assault occurred,” according to the probable cause statement.

Some of the alleged false statements occurred during depositions under oath. The case against the defendant was dismissed in court on January 12, the defendant’s father told the Southeast Missourian. The father said Prosecutor Stephen Gray knew Kaempfer was lying about some aspects, but he continued the case. He said the judge dismissed the case because the evidence contained in the text messages was not admissible. Because of the false statements made under oath, Kaempfer also faces perjury charges. Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Mark Welker has been assigned as the special prosecutor to handle the case.

The theft charge accuses Kaempfer of taking $1,000 from an individual on the promise that he would go to an attorney regarding a protective order in an abuse case. After Kaempfer was charged with multiple crimes, the man called the police, saying the money was not used for legal representation. The recorded call shows that Kaempfer said he used the money for living expenses and not for lawyers.

The statement of probable cause in the case states, “In this investigation, a large number of lies, false statements and fabricated evidence related to the investigation of multiple crimes have been discovered and documented.”