CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — No charges will be pursued in the staged abduction hoax that took place in a Walmart parking lot in Chesterfield County on May 20.
Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the incident and determined through its investigation that none of the individuals will face charges for the abduction stunt.
“Like many in our community, we are deeply troubled by the danger these young adults put themselves and others in by staging this abduction, and the law enforcement resources that were wasted investigating a crime that did not occur, but there is no statute in Virginia that specifically applies to performance crimes,” said Chesterfield County’s Col. Jeffrey S. Katz.
“While there are statutes that may loosely apply, I think it’s important that we charge based solely on legislative intent,” Col. Katz continued, “Going forward, we would encourage members of the General Assembly to consider legislation that addresses the hazards of social media performances that jeopardize public safety.”
Chesterfield County called off the abduction report after the woman that was involved showed up to a police station with one of the men involved.
“We are grateful that the participants in this hoax came forward to police and understand the impact of their actions,” Katz said.
Col. Katz hopes this event discourages future copycats.
“We strongly encourage people to think through the potential consequences of staging crimes in public places before engaging in such behavior.”
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