VANCOUVER, Washington (Reuters) - A woman who claimed a stranger doused her with acid, only to later admit she injured herself was sentenced on Friday to pay a $500 fine and seek mental health treatment after pleading guilty to making a false statement to authorities.
Bethany Storro, 28, was also ordered to pay nearly $4,000 in restitution to police and serve 240 hours of community service.
If these conditions are met, the felony charge will be dropped in 18 months, Clark County prosecutor Tony Golik said.
Wearing a clear, plastic medical mask over her still scarred and red face, Storro apologized to the court for her actions.
"I am genuinely and deeply sorry," she told the court, "and I am getting the help I need."
Storro received an outpouring of sympathy and about $28,000 in donations after reporting the attack last August 30. But her story soon began to unravel and she admitted she had burned her own face with drain cleaner.
The $28,000 in donations were already returned, Golik said. Storro had originally been charged with three counts of felony theft.
"It is a very sad situation," Clark County Superior Court Judge John Nichols said in sentencing her.
(Reporting by Teresa Carson; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tim Gaynor)
Mochila insert follows.
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