BAY MINETTE, Alabama --- A Robertsdale man pleaded guilty Monday to filing a false report after accusing a Fairhope police officer of rape and threatening to go to the news media with the allegations.

Andrew Jackson Boyington, 26, was sentenced to one year in jail, split to serve 45 days with the remainder suspended for two years of probation, during which he is to have no contact with witnesses or victims in the case, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the Baldwin County District Attorney’s office. Filing a false report is a Class A misdemeanor.

According to reports, a man anonymously called the Fairhope Police Department in June, alleging that one of the Fairhope police officers had raped a woman. He also made two harassing calls to the officer, during which he threatened to tell reporters the same story.

To ensure the investigation was handled objectively, Fairhope officials asked the District Attorney’s Office to investigate. After determining that there was no basis for the allegation against the officer, investigators identified Boyington as the caller.

“False reporting not only harms the person falsely accused,” Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon said, “but also can be detrimental to the prosecution of legitimate crimes. It casts a shadow that true rape victims have to overcome. To falsely accuse a police officer of rape is especially serious, because it tarnishes the reputation of someone whose job is to protect the public, undermines citizens’ faith in law enforcement. ”