Sutter County Man Arrested after Allegedly Fabricating Elaborate Robbery Incident
A man was recently arrested on suspicion of filing a false police report after his claim of a vehicle theft and assault, which had initially sparked concern, was revealed to have been fabricated.
According to a recent press release by the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, Sutter County Dispatch received a phone call from the male, who reported his vehicle stolen and claimed to be located in an orchard on Hutchinson Road on December 7, 2022. Upon the arrival of deputies at the scene, they discovered the man with his legs bound by a zip tie and another zip tie around his neck. The individual appeared to have charred clothing, suggesting a potentially violent encounter.
The alleged victim reportedly claimed that two assailants, armed with either a gun or a knife, had forcefully robbed him of $1,000 in cash and his pickup. According to his account, the suspects then doused him in gasoline and set him on fire. As a result, he sustained minor burn injuries and was subsequently transported to Adventist Health and Rideout for medical attention.
Detectives were notified and responded to the scene, collecting crucial evidence that included a replica firearm, a knife, and the two zip ties used during the purported incident. The victim’s vehicle was also discovered parked approximately 2-3 miles away on the side of South George Washington Boulevard.
An investigator conducted an interview with the man, during which he provided a detailed statement and description of the alleged suspects. The investigation, which came to include the execution of search warrants for cellphone records, later revealed discrepancies in the victim’s story. With assistance from the FBI Chico Office, it was established that the individual’s cellphone had been present at the crime scene and near the location where his vehicle was found just before he dialed 911 to report the incident.
Confronted with this new information, the man allegedly tried to lie his way out of the situation again before ultimately admitting that he had made up the entire story, for reasons that are as yet unknown. The individual was subsequently arrested on suspicion of filing a false police report and has been booked into Sutter County jail.
