The Latest on criminal charges against a West Virginia mom accused of falsely reporting that an Egyptian man tried to kidnap her daughter (all times local):
4:20 p.m.
A West Virginia mother whose story about foiling a brazen kidnapping attempt unraveled under questioning has been criminally charged and jailed.
Barboursville Police Detective Greg Lucas tells The Associated Press on Friday that Santana Renee Adams has been charged with falsely reporting an emergency incident, a misdemeanor.
He says Adams turned herself in about 2 p.m. and was jailed after a magistrate judge set bail at $20,000. Lucas said she didn’t have an attorney yet.
The charge caps a sensational tale that had Adams using a gun to stop an Egyptian man from kidnapping her daughter in a West Virginia shopping mall. But the story fell apart amid inconsistencies in her story and led to police dropping all charges against the man, Mohamed Fathy Hussein Zayan.
Authorities say Zayan may have simply been patting the girl on the head.
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11:15 a.m.
A detective in West Virginia says criminal charges will be brought against a woman for falsely reporting that an Egyptian man tried to kidnap her daughter from a shopping mall.
Barboursville Police Detective Greg Lucas tells The Associated Press on Friday that they’re going to charge Santana Renee Adams with falsely reporting an emergency incident.
The charge would be the latest turn in a sensational tale of a mother who used a gun to thwart an abduction but quickly unraveled amid inconsistencies in her story.
Authorities on Thursday announced they were dropping charges against the man, Mohamed Fathy Hussein Zayan. Police say he may have simply been patting the girl on the head.
Adams couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
