Detectives Mull Charges Against Boy, 9, For False Attempted Kidnapping Report
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Detectives on Tuesday sought to determine why a 9-year-old boy made false claims that a man tried to kidnap him outside his home in Monrovia.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies have released a 32-year-old suspect after the child admitted fabricating the charges.
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The suspect was initially arrested on Sunday and questioned before investigators went back to talk to the boy on Monday after determining the facts did not corroborate his side of the story.
"Basically, the child stated that the attempted kidnapping did not occur," said Deputy Tony Martin.
Investigators are now looking into why the boy might have made up the allegations.
California state law holds children to a different standard in regards to the filing of a false report of a crime.
"They will determine whether or not the child knew what they were doing at the time of the incident, if what they did was wrong," said Martin. "That's based on state law that we use."
Minors who are deemed capable of determining right from wrong can be held criminally liable for filing a false police report, but that standard is unlikely to be applied to this child, officials said.
It remains unclear whether the child, the parents or both will face any criminal charges.
