AZ Woman Makes Up Kidnapping Tale to Visit Fugitive Boyfriend
Don't fake your own kidnapping so you can visit your fugitive boyfriend in Mexico. No, really. Don't. It's a horrible idea.
Jessica Rodriguez, 22, has had to learn this lesson the hard way. The Avondale, Ariz. resident called her mom and said she had been kidnapped, tied up and blindfolded before being driven to an undisclosed location. Her story was so believable, her mother went to the police.
In actuality, she was canoodling in Mexico with her boyfriend, who is wanted in connection with a January homicide.
When Rodriguez made her way back into the country last weekend, border patrol contacted Avondale investigators, reports the Tucson Citizen. It was then that they learned she had faked her kidnapping. It seems she was trying to avoid her mother, who wouldn't have let her go.
She's a 22-year-old adult.
Avondale police are considering charges, according to KSAZ-TV. Jessica Rodriguez wasted the time and money of the local police department, immigration and border agents and the FBI. Prosecutors may charge her with filing a false report or causing a false report to be filed.
If convicted, the penalties aren't that steep, sliding in at a short 6 months. However, if prosecutors really want to go after her, they can probably convince the judge to order her to pay restitution to the law enforcement agencies involved.
Indeed, what Jessica Rodriguez didn't realize is that, when she faked her kidnapping, she was practically begging the police department to send her a bill. A nice hefty one, too.
Related Resources:
- Arizona woman faked kidnapping to see boyfriend (New York Daily News)
- Chicago Cop Files False Police Report to Avoid DUI (Chicago DUI Blog)
- Balloon Boy Hoax: Heene Parents Pay Legal Restitution (FindLaw Blotter)