Arizona Man Faked His Own Kidnapping to Get Out of Work

Coolidge Police Department Brandon Soules

Police in Arizona arrested a man who falsely reported that he was kidnapped in order to avoid going to work.

Brandon Soules, 19, pleaded guilty at a Feb. 18 sentencing hearing to false reporting. He was ordered to pay a $550 fine.

Coolidge police said they responded to a call at about 5:25 p.m. on Feb. 10 about "a male subject whose hands were bound behind his back with a belt and had a bandana stuffed in his mouth," states a police press release.

Soules told police he was kidnapped in front of his home by two masked men who knocked him unconscious after hitting him on the head. He said the men drove him around before they dumped him on the street in Coolidge.

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Police said they investigated Soules' claims, including that he was taken by the masked men because his father had hidden large sums of money around town, but found no evidence that he was abducted, reports the Associated Press. Police also searched through surveillance video and found nothing to corroborate his story, the Associated Press reported.

Soules was arrested on Feb. 17 on charges of false reporting. Police say he admitted to making up the story during a police interview.