A Pueblo man was arrested this week over what police described as a fake kidnapping report that triggered an Amber Alert, all to speed efforts to track down his stolen pickup.
Late Wednesday afternoon, police officers responded to a bowling alley in southwest Pueblo on a report of theft and kidnapping of a motor vehicle, according to a news release from the Pueblo Police Department.
There, officers spoke with 34-year-old Daniel Reyes, who said his 13-year-old cousin was in his white Ford F-250 truck when it was stolen.
The Pueblo Police Department’s investigation quickly escalated and involved multiple agencies, including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, before police found the unoccupied truck about a mile east of the bowling alley.
Four hours after the investigation began, police discovered that the girl whose photo Reyes had provided was safe. Bianca Hicks, a spokeswoman for the Pueblo Police Department, said Reyes knew the girl and her family, but the two were not related and the name Reyes provided was fictitious.
Reyes was further questioned by police and eventually arrested and jailed Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, a misdemeanor.
TV station KOAA reported that Reyes’ arrest affidavit states he told investigators he knowingly made the false report to try to speed up the process of finding his stolen truck. JS was not immediately able to obtain the affidavit because the Pueblo County District Court requires payment for the documents to be submitted in person or sent in the form of a check or money order.
Hicks declined to describe the contents of the affidavit.
The Pueblo Police Department in its news release thanked the other agencies that supported the urgent but ultimately unnecessary search for the girl, including the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Fountain Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office . .
Hicks said the false report put pressure on the city’s police department, who also responded to an armed standoff at the time, and that the incident’s proximity to Interstate 25 forced the department to alert numerous other agencies along the corridor.
“Unfortunately, because it was not a legitimate situation, you had officers who were now unable to respond to the real needs, crimes and concerns in the community,” she said, estimating the hours of unnecessary work the Pueblo Police Department had done. and other law enforcement officers could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
She also acknowledged the efforts of community members to publicize the tip before police learned it was unfounded.
“You have so many people who are so passionate and so committed, and for it to be absolutely made up is heartbreaking. It’s frustrating,” said Hicks.
Reyes was released from jail on Oct. 17 on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, court records show.
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