Former Ohio Police Officer Accused Of Lying About Being Shot At Is Facing Charges
TRUMBULL COUNTY (KDKA) -- A former police officer is facing several charges after being accused of lying about being shot at.
It's unfolding in Trumbull County, Ohio, which is just over the border from Mercer County.
Police say Noah Linnen has changed his story four times since Jan. 13, when he called for help.
It sent roughly 45 officers rushing to his aid.
But now investigators say what Linnen claimed happened did not happen at all.
"We actually started to question his credibility once we weren't able to locate a vehicle that he described to us in the surveillance video," Howald Police Department Chief Nick Roberts said.
Linnen's initial claim was it was a man in a dark SUV, which then became a man on a bicycle, then to a man on foot.
"Our detectives confronted Noah and advised him that they'd already spoken with several witnesses in the area who have surveillance video from that area that does not show any person or persons on foot in that area at that time," Roberts said.
Roberts said that's when Linnen changed his story for the last time.
He told investigators that he pulled over to bring up directions on his cell phone when another vehicle almost hit him.
Linnen said it infuriated him so much that he shot three rounds from his duty weapon through his vehicle.
When he realized what he'd done, he took his personal weapon and shot it into the passenger seat of his car.
Linnen is facing three felonies and a misdemeanor.