October 18th 2024.
A man from Pueblo, a small town in Colorado, got into some trouble this week when he made a fake kidnapping report to the police. This caused an Amber Alert to be issued, which is a serious and urgent notification to the public about a possible child abduction. The man, identified as Daniel Reyes, wanted to speed up the process of finding his stolen pickup truck by creating a false emergency situation.
According to a news release from the Pueblo Police Department, officers were called to a bowling alley in the southwest area of Pueblo on Wednesday afternoon. They were responding to a report of a stolen vehicle and a kidnapping. When they arrived, they spoke with Reyes, who claimed that his 13-year-old cousin was inside his white Ford F-250 truck when it was stolen. This prompted an intense investigation involving multiple agencies, including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
After four hours of searching, the police found the unoccupied truck about a mile and a half away from the bowling alley. However, they soon learned that the girl who Reyes claimed was kidnapped was actually safe. The Pueblo police spokeswoman, Bianca Hicks, stated that Reyes knew the girl and her family, but they were not related. Additionally, the name he provided was fake. This raised suspicion and Reyes was questioned further by the police. Eventually, he was arrested and charged with attempting to influence a public servant, which is a felony.
According to a local TV station, Reyes admitted to knowingly making a false report in order to speed up the process of finding his stolen truck. However, the details of his admission were not immediately available as the Pueblo County District Court requires payment for records to be obtained. Hicks, the Pueblo police spokeswoman, declined to comment on the contents of the affidavit.
The Pueblo Police Department expressed their gratitude to the other agencies that assisted in the search for the supposed kidnapped girl. However, Hicks also mentioned that this false report put a strain on the city's police force, as they were also dealing with an armed standoff at the same time. The incident also caused a ripple effect, with multiple agencies along the Interstate 25 corridor being alerted. Hicks estimated that the hours of unnecessary work done by the police and other law enforcement officers could amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
She also acknowledged the efforts of community members who spread the news about the supposed kidnapping before it was discovered to be false. Hicks described the situation as heartbreaking and frustrating, as so many people were invested in helping find the missing girl, only to learn that it was a made-up story.
Reyes was released from jail on a $10,000 bond and is awaiting further legal proceedings. The Pueblo Police Department urges the public to sign up for their crime news updates to stay informed about important incidents in their community.
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