A West Virginia woman who said she stopped a man from abducting her daughter at a Huntington mall has now been charged with falsely reporting an emergency, according to police and prosecutors.
Santana called 911 on April 1 and reported that a man of Middle Eastern descent grabbed her five year old daughter by the hair in an Old Navy store. She told police she pulled out a firearm and the man ran off. Her daughter reportedly backed up her account.
Soon after, mall security and Barboursville police found Mohamed, a 56 year old man, walking near the food court and detained him. He was booked on a felony attempted kidnapping charge, held on a $200,000 bond and spent the night in jail. Santana’s story went viral, and the Barboursville police shared it on their Facebook page, where many people praised her for protecting her child.
According to the Washington Post, the story began to unravel after investigators reviewed mall security video. Michelle Protzman, the attorney for Mohamed, said no footage showed her client, Santana or the children near each other in the store, and that Mohamed said he never saw Santana. “She actually leaves very unaffected before (Mohamed) leaves the store,” Protzman said.
Store employees also could not back up the account. When police asked Santana to come in for a second interview, her statement reportedly did not match her first one. She then said the situation was a misunderstanding tied to cultural differences and eventually recanted.
Prosecutors have since dropped the charges against Mohamed. Santana is now charged with falsely reporting an emergency, with bond set at $20,000. She faces a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail if convicted. A charge is not a conviction, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
