Dispelling Rumors: There Was No Child Abduction At Westlake Store

WESTLAKE, OH — A Westlake resident may be charged for inducing panic after they made a fake social media post about the abduction of a 1-year-old from the play area at Barnes and Noble in Crocker Park. Police became aware of the post after it started getting attention on Facebook.

The post said that a woman with a shaved head had grabbed the child, but a customer had thwarted the abduction. Problem was, police had received no reports of such an incident from parents, witnesses, the store, or Crocker Park security.

Officers were sent to investigate the "abduction." They went to the home of the person who made the Facebook post and quickly discovered that no such incident had ever occurred. The posting was completely false.

Police said a report was filed on the matter and the city prosecutor will rule on possible charges of inducing panic or making false alarms, both misdemeanors, police said.

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