A terrifying tale of child abduction in Lawrence County turned out to be just that: a terrifying story.
When two passersby found a 13-year-old girl by the side of the road with her hands bound in a strap, Lawrence County Deputies sprang into action. Law enforcement responded to the call at the 2.2 Mile Marker of State Route 243 last week.
The Attack
When they got there, the girl told deputies a story that’s the stuff parental nightmares are made of. She said she was out in her yard picking up toys that belonged to her dog. Then, two men came up behind her. They grabbed her and tossed her in a vehicle. Inside the vehicle, the men bound her hands with a strap. The two proceeded to put a hood over her head.
The girl told Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies that she was able to fight back. She claimed to have hit and kicked her attackers until she was able to escape their vehicle. She was found in a yard by the side of the road just a few houses down from where she lived.
Suspicions
But deputies had some questions about the story. First of all, there were no signs of physical injury to the teen. As a precaution, the officers called Lawrence County EMS to take the girl to the hospital.
Detectives then went to the hospital to meet with the 13-year-old. During the interview, she admitted that there had been no abduction attempt. She’d made up the whole story. According to the police report, the teenager told detectives, “that something kept telling her to keep the story going after deputies confronted her.”
She was released from the hospital and back into the custody of her guardians.
This young lady could find herself standing before a judge soon. According to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless:
“A report of “Making False Alarms to Law Enforcement” ORC 2917.32A3 was sent to the Prosecutors Office for their review. Lawrence County Children’s Services was also provided a copy of the report for their review.”
