A teenager from Arizona has been arrested for faking his own kidnapping in order to get out of work, the Casa Grande Dispatch reports.
According to police, on February 10, Brandon Soules, 19, was found with his hands tied with his own belt and a bandanna in his mouth in Coolidge.
It is believed that Soules told police that two men in masks had knocked him unconscious, before taking him near a water tower in the city and dumping him there.
When police found no evidence of the criminal activity that the 19-year-old had described, Soules confessed to having fabricated the story to get out of his job at The Tire Factory.
Soules was arrested on Wednesday (February 17) and has since been fired from his job.
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In a statement, Coolidge Police said:
"Coolidge Police officers responded that evening at 5.25pm to the area of 1st Street and Northern Avenue in Coolidge in reference to a male subject whose hands were bound behind his back with a belt and had a bandana stuffed in his mouth.
"Initially, the subject reported to officers that two masked men kidnapped him, hit his head (knocking him unconscious) and drove him around in a vehicle before they left him in the area he was found.
"An extensive investigation was conducted by Coolidge detectivs and evidence was discovered showing his story was fabricated and no kidnapping or assault occurred.
"Brandon Soules 19 years of age was arrested on February 17, 2021 for false reporting and admitted during an interview that he made up the story as an excuse to get out of work"
A photo released by Coolidge Police Department shows Soules tied up, laying on the ground.
Commander Mark Tercero told ABC: "He informed us that he, at first, stuffed a bandanna in his mouth, and afterward he took off his own belt and bound his hands with his own belt.
"And laid on the ground and scooted out to the side of the road where somebody could see him and waited."
Police started to become suspicious of his account of the "kidnapping" after they checked CCTV footage from around his home.
