Update: New Hartford Police Debunk Attempted Abduction at School

New Hartford Police says that the report of a man attempting to lure students into the woods at an athletic event was completely made up.

Police responded to the Perry Junior High School in New Hartford on Saturday morning after a student from the Mount Markham School District claimed that he became disoriented and lost in the woods after a man dressed in camouflage attempted to abduct him. As a result, authorities and the school district were forced to cancel the cross country event and an intense search for the white male ensued.

Police say after the report, New Hartford Fire Department members quickly set up a perimeter and a command post and Police began to investigate the report. The Utica Police Department and New York State Police assisted in the area and also provided K-9 Officers to assist New Hartford Police with a search of the wooded area. The Oneida County Sheriff's Office Drone Unit also assisted in the search.

After a search by New Hartford Police, the New Hartford Fire Department, the Oneida County Sheriff's Drone Unit, and the Utica Police tallied up a large number of manpower hours, it was determined that the student from the West Winfield area completely made up the story.

Police say, The juvenile was not injured. During an interview at the New Hartford Police Department the juvenile admitted to a New Hartford Police Investigator that he had fabricated the story and that none of what was initially reported to police was true.

The juvenile who's name will not be released because of age and he will be charged with Falsely Reporting an Incident, which is a misdemeanor, according to police. The juvenile will be referred to the Oneida County Probation Department to answer the charge, police say.

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