REYNOLDS ACCUSER BACKPEDALS

The woman who accused Rep. Mel Reynolds of Chicago of sexual misconduct now says she told prosecutors she was lying within days of her allegations, but that the Cook County prosecutors office pressured her into testifying against him anyway. In an interview published in today's Chicago Sun-Times, Beverly Heard said she made up the accusations because Reynolds made repeated phone calls to her house disrupting her relationship with another woman. Reynolds was charged in August with having sex with Heard while she was an underage campaign worker. During a court hearing Monday, attorney Reginald Turner, who said he represented Heard, announced that Heard was recanting her allegations. A spokesman for the Cook County attorney says that Heard may be charged with perjury.