11-Year-Old Arrested For Another Fake Abduction As Disturbing Trend Continues
The internet has brought out an ugly side of pranks and jokes like never before. From kids eating Tide pods to posting videos of fake breakups to get views there is a whole category of content that really just isn't funny in the least.
Some would argue that faking getting kidnapped is the newest trend that is taking pranks entirely too far. Carlee Russel recently admitted that she faked getting kidnapped and is now potentially facing charges for wasting law enforcement's time and resources.
Now an 11-year-old girl is in the same boat after falsely reporting that her friend had been 'kidnapped'. When asked why she would do something like this she stated that she thought "it would be funny".
The Falsely Reported Kidnapping Details
Flordia authorities shared that the 11-year-old girl reported her friend "had been abducted by an armed man driving a white van and was following them in a blue Jeep on Interstate 95 in Oak Hill."
Following her initial report, She texted updates with details of the male suspect and reported that he was armed with a gun according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Details were Texted to Authorities
The 11-year-old communicated these details over text for an hour and a half before investigators tracked the cell phone that sent the 911 text. When they arrived at a home in Port Orange, Flordia on Poppy Lane they spoke with her father who told them "his daughter was inside the home with her family".
Once the deputies were face to face with the 11-year-old girl deputies noticed she was holding her cell phone and it was receiving a call from the Sheriff's dispatch in real time.
11-Year-Old Girl Faces Consequences For Her Reckless Actions
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he was "not amused" when the girl told them she was inspired to prank 911 by a YouTube video challenge.
This kind of prank activity is dangerous — we're going to investigate every incident but today it wasted valuable resources that might have helped someone else who legitmatley needed our help
She was then charged with "making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm" and "misuse of 911" and was taken to the Volusia Regional Juvenile detention Center.
A valuable lesson can be learned from both Carlee Russel's hoax and this young girl's reckless 911 prank. Both will be met with serious consciences. Hopefully, this sends a message to kids considering participating in this trend that there isn't anything funny about pranking law enforcement.