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GREENVILLE, N.C. — A man faked his kidnapping to get ransom money out of his grandparents to pay off a drug dealer, a North Carolina sheriff’s office said.
Posted by Pitt County Sheriff on Thursday, June 17, 2021
The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies received a call on Thursday from a person who said his grandson had been kidnapped and that his abductors demanded a ransom.
According to the news release, Jeremy Nichols, 34, of Grimesland, returned to his grandparents home unharmed, after which detectives determined the kidnapping was a hoax created by Nichols and a drug dealer to get the grandfather to pay off a debt.
The sheriff’s office charged Nichols with extortion and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. He’s jailed on a $175,000 bond, and it’s not known if he has an attorney.
(WATCH BELOW: Police: Man arrested after fake kidnapping in Statesville)
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