University Police charged a 17-year-old student from Catonsville with filing a false report after they discovered he fabricated a story about being struck in the head by three black males and having his pants, wallet and cell phone stolen.
The student, who was not identified because he is a minor, claimed he was assaulted on the night of Aug. 28 behind Ritchie Coliseum. The next day, he admitted to making the story up when interviewed by University Police.
“It seems to me that we get one a year — a false robbery report. We probably average one or two a year,” University Police spokesman Paul Dillon. “It’s not common, but it’s pretty consistent.”
In the state of Maryland, filing a false police report can be considered a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the district attorney’s interpretation and the suspect can be subjected to fines and imprisonment.
Dillon said motives for filing false police reports typically include revenge or intoxication. He believes in this particular case, alcohol was a contributing factor.
“He doesn’t know what happened to his wallet and his property so he made up this story,” Dillon said. “They lose their wallet in a drunken haze and think they’re going to get in trouble.”
Dillon added that he is dispirited by any amount of time spent by police investigating false reports.
“This is a waste of resources,” he said. “I really discourage people from filing false police reports because it’s really a drain on resources and we could use these to fight crimes.”
rhodes@umdbk.com
