Weld County False Reporting to Authorities Attorney
Man Claims Daughter Was Abducted to Get His Car Back Faster

A man was charged with False Reporting to Authorities after claiming his daughter was in his car when it was stolen to get his car back faster. Read more here.

In Greeley and Weld County, False Reporting is charged when a person reports a crime they know did not actually occur. A father is facing this charge after reporting that his daughter was inside his car when it was stolen. Police issued an Amber Alert, only to find out that the 3-year-old girl was actually with her mother. The man allegedly thought that telling the police his daughter was in the car would get a better and faster response and recovery of his car. Instead, it got him criminal charges for False Reporting.

Greeley False Reporting to Authorities Lawyer: Definition of False Reporting in Weld County

The Weld, Morgan, and Logan County, Colorado law definition of False Reporting to Authorities, as it applies to this case – C.R.S. 18-8-111 – is:

(1) (a) A person commits false reporting to authorities if:

(II)  He or she makes a report or knowingly causes the transmission of a report to law enforcement authorities of a crime or other incident within their official concern when he or she knows that it did not occur; or

(III)  He or she makes a report or knowingly causes the transmission of a report to law enforcement authorities pretending to furnish information relating to an offense or other incident within their official concern when he or she knows that he or she has no such information or knows that the information is false; or

(IV)  He or she knowingly provides false identifying information to law enforcement authorities.

Because the man reported a real crime, but added information he knew was not true, he could be charged with a violation of subsection (II) or (III).

Sentence for False Reporting to Authorities in Erie and Evans

In Greeley, Erie, and Evans, False Reporting to Authorities is a class 3 misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 6 months in the Weld County Jail and up to $750 in fines. This would not include the restitution amount, which will likely be the amount the state lost on issuing the Amber Alert and investigating the abduction.

If you or someone you love has been charged with False Reporting to Authorities, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009 to schedule your free consultation. Together, we can protect your future.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash