Colo. Fake Bear Attack: Woman Pleads Guilty To False Reporting

BLACK HAWK, CO – A Gilpin County woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to lying in September about an alleged bear attack in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. DNA evidence taken from the woman's clothing helped show that no bear attack occurred, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a press release.

Julie Bosworth, 38, plead guilty to a Class-3 misdemeanor of false reporting to authorities. She was sentenced by Gilpin County Judge David Taylor to 20 hours of community service.

"As an agency we investigate these to the fullest and we cannot and will not tolerate false reporting," said CPW Northeast Region Manager Mark Leslie. "If you do this, we are going to charge you."

On Sept. 19, around 1:20 p.m. Bosworth claimed she encountered a bear while walking with her dog on the Coyote Trail near Colorado Hwy 46 and Mountain Base Road. She was taken to St. Anthony's hospital with injuries on her arms and legs.

Gilpin County Sheriff's deputies and wildlife officers and park rangers responded and searched a two-acre area around the scene and said they found no signs of a bear. After interviewing Bosworth, Colorado Parks and Wildlife sent out an announcement later the same day that no encounter with a bear had taken place.

For confirmation, Bosworth's clothing was sent to a Wyoming lab where the only DNA discovered was that from human and dog hairs, proving her injuries did not come from a bear, the agency said. The agency issued a citation for false reporting on Oct. 9.

"False reports such as these are a hindrance to our already limited staff and resources as our time and efforts can be better utilized," Golden Gate Canyon State Park Manager Todd Farrow said in a press release. "In addition, it can also affect how the public views the already delicate balance between human and wildlife encounters."

Related: 'No Bear Attack' At State Park: Colorado Parks And Wildlife

Image: The absence of a bear is pictured in this mountain photo from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

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