false police report

14 Stories

Wild Swatting Calls Allegedly Came From a Cop

Alabama police chief says Christopher Eugene Sanspree Jr. 'thought it was funny'

(Newser) - Police departments across the country have been speaking out about swatting as a form of criminal harassment that endangers innocent people as well as police officers. But apparently not all cops think it's so serious. As WAGA and WSFA report, Alabama police officer Christopher Eugene Sanspree Jr., 23, allegedly...

Mom Who Said Her Kids' Xmas Gifts Were Stolen Is Arrested

Police now say Shana Hudson, 39, 'took advantage of the system'

(Newser) - A Florida woman who earned the sympathy of her community after reporting that her kids' Christmas gifts were stolen out of her home has been arrested for falsely reporting that crime. WKRC and Fox News report on the case of 39-year-old Shana Hudson, who, according to a Facebook post by...

Australian Faked Kidnapping, Which Is Going to Cost Him

Paul Iera wanted to spend night with a woman other than his partner

(Newser) - Australian police spent precisely $16,218 to investigate the kidnapping of Paul Iera. Except that there was no kidnapping, just a half-baked plan to free him up on New Year's Eve. Iera, 35, has been ordered by a court to repay that amount to New South Wales police. He...

Online Challenge Ends With 11-Year-Old Arrested

Florida youth sent police on a 90-minute goose chase, say deputies

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Florida girl has been arrested over a false kidnapping report—and she told officers it was part of a YouTube challenge. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office says the girl texted 911 at 9:45am Wednesday and claimed that a friend had been snatched by an armed...

Actor Found Guilty for False Hate Crime Report
Smollett Convicted on 5 Counts
Dec 9, 2021 6:25 PM CST

Smollett Convicted on 5 Counts

Jury decides actor invented tale about being a victim of a hate crime

(Newser) - A Chicago jury convicted Jussie Smollett on Thursday of falsely reporting that he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019. The former Empire actor was convicted of five charges and acquitted of one, NBC reports. Smollett showed no reaction as he stood facing the jury and heard the...

Charges Dismissed Against Amy Cooper
Charges Dismissed
Against Amy Cooper
Feb 16, 2021 11:18 AM CST

Charges Dismissed Against Amy Cooper

Woman in Central Park called police on a Black birdwatcher

(Newser) - Amy Cooper, the white woman arrested last spring for calling 911 during a dispute with a Black man in New York's Central Park, had her criminal case dismissed Tuesday after completing a counseling program meant to educate her on the harm of her actions. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon...

Prosecutors: Deputy Staged His Ambush
Deputy Charged
With Faking Ambush
Jan 31, 2021 1:30 PM CST

Deputy Charged With Faking Ambush

Sukhdeep Gill had reported that bullet hit his body camera, saving him

(Newser) - On a Sunday night in January 2020, California prosecutors say, a sheriff's deputy patrolling a rural road alone hit the emergency broadcast button on his radio and said: "Shots fired! "Shots fired!" Officers from four agencies responded. Santa Clara County officials have now decided there was...

Victim Won't Cooperate in Case Against Amy Cooper

Christian Cooper says she doesn't need 'more misery'

(Newser) - Amy Cooper may be charged with filing a false police report as a result of his video, but Christian Cooper is not necessarily on board. The member of the New York City Audubon Society board of directors again suggests the white woman who called police on May 25 to report...

In 'Party Town,' an Alleged Gang Rape. Now, Accuser Is Sentenced

Teen gets 4-month suspended sentence for lying about Cyprus rape; she says retraction was coerced

(Newser) - A judge in Cyprus says he's giving a "second chance" to a young woman who came before his bench, handing down a four-month sentence that's been suspended for three years after she was convicted of lying about being gang-raped. Per the BBC and the Sun , the unidentified...

Cops: Woman Called 911, Claimed Husband Was Burglar

'What her goal was, I have no idea'

(Newser) - An Alabama woman is facing several charges over what police say was an "utterly ridiculous" attempt to scare her allegedly cheating husband. Police in Millbrook say 33-year-old Amber Lewis called 911 to report a burglary Wednesday morning. They say when they responded, they found Lewis and a female friend...

Cops: Husband Faked Own Kidnapping to Hang With Pals

Rogelio Andaverde apparently really wanted to get out of the house

(Newser) - In fairness to Rogelio Andaverde, two masked men did force their way into his Texas home and take him away at gunpoint in front of his terrified wife. It's just that police say he staged the whole thing—because he wanted to spend some time with the boys and...

NC Cops: Those Clown Sightings Were Fake

One arrested for filing false clown report

(Newser) - Those afraid of clowns can sleep a little easier in North Carolina, where authorities say at least two reports of suspicious clown sightings in Winston-Salem were fabricated. Residents first reported that a clown was trying to lure kids into woods with treats on Sept. 4. However, police say surveillance footage...

Teacher Gets Felony Charge for Lying About Puppy

Bizarre case has her students at a loss

(Newser) - In a bizarre turn of events, an Illinois community college adjunct professor who claimed to have found a puppy inside a pillowcase along the highway is now being charged with a felony, the Chicago Tribune reports. Earlier this month, 38-year-old Hope Sanchez brought the 3-week-old puppy to show her psychology...

Text Message Frame-Up Lands Woman in Jail

'Victim' blames ex for threats, gets 1-year sentence

(Newser) - It turns out, you can go to jail for threatening yourself—just call the cops and try to pin it on your ex-boyfriend and his sister-in-law. Jeanne Manunga, a 25-year-old California woman, has been sentenced to a year in jail for sending herself threatening text messages from a prepaid cell...

14 Stories