McCain volunteer admits making up attack

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A McCain volunteer in Pittsburgh admitted Friday that she made up a story of being assaulted by a man angered by the bumper sticker on her car, police said.

Ashley Todd, 20, of College Park, Texas, was arrested, CNN reported. Bail was set at $50,000 during a court appearance late Friday, and she was ordered to undergo an evaluation at a behavior clinic if she is released.

Police said Todd's story -- that she was robbed and assaulted Wednesday night -- had a lot of inconsistencies. She allegedly admitted lying after lengthy questioning.

"It's just a lot of wasted man hours," Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Maurita Bryant said at a news conference Friday.

Todd told police a man robbed her at knifepoint at an ATM and then became enraged when he saw a "McCain-Palin" sticker on her car. She said he hit her, knocked her down and told her "You are going to be a Barack supporter," and then carved a B on her face.

The security camera at the ATM did not show any robbery.

Todd was given a lie-detector test Friday morning, although police did not release results.

"She is stating that she was in her vehicle driving around, and she came up with this idea," Bryant said. "She said she has prior mental problems and doesn't know how the backward letter 'B' got on her face."