COOLIDGE, AZ — Coolidge police arrested a man who claimed he had been kidnapped near 1st Street and Northern Avenue in Coolidge to get out of work.
The Casa Grande Dispatch reported at around 5:25 p.m. on Feb.10 that police say they found 19-year-old Brandon Soules near a water tower with his hands bound behind his back and a bandana stuffed in his mouth.
Soules told police he was kidnapped by two masked men. He says the men knocked him unconscious and drove him around in a vehicle before leaving him by a water tower.
Coolidge detectives conducted an investigation that found no evidence that a kidnapping or assault had occurred. Officers say when they looked at surveillance video to corroborate his story of him being hit over the head and stuffed in his car in front of his home, they saw no signs of any of his story being true.
He also alleged the kidnapping occurred because of a large amount of money his father had hidden around town, which was also fabricated.
He was arrested on Feb. 17 for false reporting to police.
Officers say Soules admitted that he made up the story as an excuse to get out of work during an interview.
Coolidge police say Soules was fired from his job at The Tire Factory.
Online court records didn’t list an attorney for Soules who might comment on his behalf.
