Man charged with filing false report against Riley County police officer

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - A Manhattan man made his first appearance Monday in Riley County District Court after being charged with falsely reporting that he had been assaulted by a police officer in June, according to KMAN Radio.

The Riley County Attorney’s Office in early November filed one misdemeanor count of interference with a law enforcement officer against Mike Rivera, 27, for falsely reporting a crime.

The charge was filed after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation completed its report in the case, KMAN said.

The report states that Rivera falsely reported he was assaulted by a Riley County police officer June 1 near 15th and Humboldt streets in Manhattan.

According to KMAN, Rivera stated that he was approached by an unidentified officer who battered him outside a residence and then at his apartment entrance. Rivera also reported an injury and was treated, then released, at a local hospital.

Rivera pleaded not guilty at Monday’s hearing. He is scheduled to be back in court at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

KMAN said the June 1 incident was reported just days after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer was seen in a video kneeling on his neck. The incident sparked nationwide protests.