Fake hostage report draws police response

Published 10:20 am Thursday, May 30, 2013

MENOMONIE, Wis. — Two women have been arrested for obstruction after a hostage hoax unnecessarily mobilized SWAT officers in Dunn County.

Authorities say a woman texted her mother Wednesday, saying she was being held against her will by a man with a gun and a knife. Her mother called police, who started texting with the alleged victim.

Dozens of officers, including the Eau Claire County Tactical Team, were called in for a potential hostage situation. A command post was established at a bank in Boyceville because authorities believed the woman was being held at a home in the area.

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A sheriff’s deputy spotted a woman matching the alleged victim’s description in Wheeler and determined she had made up the hostage story.

Dunn County Sheriff Dennis Smith said a 27-year-old Minnesota woman is behind the hoax