Teen facing criminal charge for kidnapping prank

Staff report

WARREN

A 17-year-old boy of Austin Avenue Northwest is looking at a possible inducing panic charge in Trumbull County Juvenile Court after he “pranked” a woman Thursday night into thinking he and a 4-year-old had been kidnapped.

A police report says the teenager called a 29-year-old city woman who dates his brother and told her at 10:45 p.m. he and the child were in the trunk of a car on Mahoning Avenue.

But police “pinged” the teen’s cellphone and found it was on McMyler Avenue Northwest. Police looked on Mahoning Avenue and McMyler and did not find any vehicle like the one the teen described.

Officers then went to the teenager’s address and found him there. He said the calls were a prank.

He was informed officers and his brother had gone out in a thunderstorm looking for him and the child. “He was informed an officer was almost involved in a crash during his search,” the report says.

Officers said they would consult with the juvenile prosecutor Monday regarding potential charges.

The girlfriend said she called police because the teenager called her in a low voice and told her he and the child had been abducted. He said he had minimal cellphone power, so they texted each other. The woman said she was scared.