When’s a scary armed kidnapping not a kidnapping?
In this case, it’s when a lot of pot is involved.
A 28-year-old man who deputies originally said was kidnapped at gunpoint from his home by four suspects during an apparent marijuana robbery was found safe and unharmed, and no abduction actually occurred, the Riverside County sheriff’s department reported Tuesday.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, sheriff’s officials said Spencer Hayes was “considered to have been abducted against his will” by three men and a woman who went to his home about 3 that morning and forced him to cut down some marijuana plants for them at gunpoint in the mountain community of Anza, east of Temecula on a hilly road to the Palm Springs area.
Sheriff’s deputies circulated Hayes’ photo in an attempt to generate public interest and assistance in locating him. But Tuesday, deputies reported that Hayes was found safe and unharmed and that he was never kidnapped in the first place.
Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Vasquez said the incident remained under investigation, with deputies looking into how the armed kidnapping report developed.
No information was released regarding the circumstances of how Hayes was located, nor was it clear whether deputies were still seeking the suspects for any alleged crime.
Vasquez said deputies were working to identify anyone who was allegedly involved in the incident, but could or would not say whether the four people were being sought.
–City News Service