Tuesday, February 25th 2014, 5:37 pm
Creek County did not issue an Amber Alert Tuesday morning after the report of a Kellyville student's abduction because investigators were trying to nail down the information and make sure it was accurate. It's a decision that was questioned by some people on Social Media.
Now that the abduction has proven to be false, what will happen to the student who called it in?
It's a delicate balance for law enforcement - they don't want to jump the gun and turn out to be wrong, but they also don't want to wait too long and let the kidnapper get a head start.
Anytime there's a report of a child getting kidnapped, the cavalry gets called in because time is of the essence. That's why several different agencies jumped into action when the report came in about the Kellyville girl's possible abduction. No one wanted a repeat of the Springfield, Missouri case last week, where the kidnapped girl was found murdered.
"Any time a person is abducted, they can travel many miles within a day so the more people we can get on this, the more agencies, the better our chances of recovering the person," said Captain George Brown, Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
2/25/2014 Related Story: Law Enforcement: Kellyville Abduction Story Made Up
Law enforcement must treat every case like it's the real deal, even if there's only a 1 percent chance it is, because they can't afford to gamble if a child's life is on the line. It's better to be safe than sorry, even if it turns out to be a hoax.
"It's a bit frustrating, but we're relieved," Brown said. "We'd rather an outcome like this than an actual abduction."
This is not the first kidnapping hoax in Green Country. Last August, a woman claimed her husband took her child at knifepoint, but it turned out not to be true. I covered a woman in 2011 who said she was kidnapped from a casino, but later admitted it was her boyfriend who got mad at her for not giving him money so he could gamble.
10/13/2013 Related Story: Tulsa Woman Fakes Kidnapping Story To Protect Boyfriend
Again in 2006, a foster mother told police three children were taken at gunpoint by their biological parents, but it never happened.
Police say these types of cases waste a lot of resources that could be better used elsewhere.
"It takes a lot for people, a lot of equipment and a lot of manpower and those forces could be used otherwise," said Captain George Brown, Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Creek County investigators say they will be sending this case to the District Attorney's office to see if any charges or actions should be taken against the girl who deputies say admitted making up Tuesday's kidnapping story.
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