False Report Could Lead to Criminal Charges

According to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless, a report of an attempted child abduction at Wal-Mart in South Point Friday evening was a false report that could result in criminal charges being filed against the person who made the unfounded claim.

“The attempted child abduction at Wal-Mart that was reported earlier this evening has been proven to be a false report” a post on the sheriff’s office Facebook page said.

The findings were the result from Lawrence County Sheriffs Deputies following up on a claim made on Facebook Friday evening at around 7 p.m. that a woman tried to abduct a child while the mother was paying for purchases at the South Point retailer.

However, after speaking with law enforcement, the mother reportedly acknowledged to authorities that the story was not true.

“The person who claimed that this had happened to their child has admitted to deputies that she made up the entire story. We will be pursuing criminal charges on her for inducing panic on the public” the Sheriff’s post said.

“Everyone should always be cautious about re-posting things they cannot confirm to be true, as this leads to more undo panic upon the public.”