MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office said that a Middletown girl who claimed that a stranger attempted to abduct her last month has admitted that she made up the story.
Sheriff Brian Martin said that, because of the girl's age, he couldn't go into specifics about the situation, including what had prompted her to make the false report.
“She's a 12-year-old,” said Martin, himself the father of three. “She made a bad decision.”
On March 23, sheriff's deputies responded to the area of Armstrong Street in Middletown on the report of the girl's attempted kidnapping, as Lake County News has reported.
Deputies searched the area but failed to locate the man – described as an older white male adult – who the girl claimed had approached her outside of the Middletown Methodist Church, took her by the wrist and tried to pull her into his pickup.
In her story, the girl claimed she had kicked the man in the shin, causing him to let go of her and immediately leave the area, officials said.
The sheriff's office said detectives canvassed the area in an attempt to locate any surveillance video of the male subject the girl had described from businesses and homeowners.
Martin said the case garnered numerous leads from community members, who contacted his department either via phone or through social media.
There even had been reports about a black Toyota pickup – like the one the girl described her attacker as driving – as having been in the area, Martin said.
There was enough input from the community that Martin said his investigators felt the case needed to be pursued and couldn't be dismissed out of hand.
Detectives followed up on the leads it received, even questioning several individuals, Martin said.
The Lakeport Police Department also lent an officer who is a trained sketch artist to the investigation. Officer Joe Eastham spoke to the girl, got additional details and created a drawing that was published in the local media.
Det. Kellie Joseph was assigned to lead the investigation. Martin said Joseph found that the leads weren't panning out. She also began to notice inconsistencies in the girl's story and her behavior.
Finally, the girl admitted she had made up the story, Martin said.
Martin said he didn't have an estimate of exactly how many hours were spent on investigating the case.
“It was quite a few,” he said. “Certainly more time than should have been dedicated to it.”
Even so, Martin said such reports have to be taken seriously.
The important thing, he said, is that such an attempted stranger abduction didn't happen.
Martin thanked the community members who had provided information, the Lakeport Police Department for its assistance and sheriff's detectives, who Martin said worked nonstop on the case in the weeks since it was reported.
As for the potential ramifications for the girl, Martin said his agency has documented the incident in the event that something similar involving her occurs in the future.
However, Martin said that, considering the girl's age, no legal action is planned against her, and instead the consequences she faces will be left up to her parents.
Children do dumb things and make mistakes, Martin said.
He added, “Getting involved in the justice system isn’t always the best way of correcting that behavior.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Girl admits to making up story about attempted Middletown kidnapping
- Elizabeth Larson
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