Woman who accused ‘Southern Charm’ cast member of rape filed false report, SC cops say
The woman who accused a cast member of the reality TV show “Southern Charm” of sexual assault was arrested Thursday, according to jail records.
Susan Wall Johnson was charged with a felony count of filing a false police report, per records from the Al Cannon Detention Center.
The 43-year-old woman claimed she was sexually assaulted by J.D. Madison, telling Mount Pleasant Police that she was “forcibly” raped, WCSC reported. Johnson said the sexual assault occurred in August 2017, but she did not report it until a year later, per the TV station.
Madison’s representative released the following statement to WCSC: “JD Madison was never charged or arrested as the Mount Pleasant Police Department did not find any credible evidence to support her claims. We are grateful that the Mount Pleasant Police Department fully investigated this case and determined that these accusations were completely false.”
Police said there were “inconsistencies in Johnson’s story,” and they “obtained evidence” that refuted the sexual assault accusation, according to WCIV.
Johnson was released from the Al Cannon Detention Center after her bail was set at $10,000, jail records show.
Madison was arrested in December on a separate charge of check fraud, WACH reported. According to the TV station, Madison is best known on “Southern Charm” as a friend of Thomas Ravenel, who The State previously reported is facing sexual assault charges.
Ravenel is a former “Southern Charm” cast member and the former South Carolina State Treasurer, per The State. The Charleston resident has been charged with second-degree assault and battery, according to the newspaper.
He quit the show last year after the rape accusations emerged, The State reported. Ravenel, Bravo, and its parent company and owner, NBC Universal and Comcast, were all named in a lawsuit, per The State.
“Southern Charm” is a reality show that follows the lives of socialites in Charleston. According to IMDb, the show “unlocks the gates of their centuries-old plantation homes for a real-life look at how modern-day Southern aristocracy lives.”
