VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — An 11-year-old Port Orange girl has been arrested after she texted 911 Wednesday morning to falsely report that her friend was kidnapped.
According to the Volusia Sheriff's Office, the 11-year-old said her friend was taken by an armed male driving a white van on South I-95 in Oak Hill.
Multiple deputies responded, to search for the suspect vehicle but no van was found.
At 9:45 a.m. a dispatcher at the Sheriff's Communications Center was advised of a suspicious incident
report.
The girl said her 14-year-old friend had been abducted and she was following in a blue Jeep.
According to the Volusia Sheriff's Office for the next hour and a half, the girl texted updates including a description of the male suspect and that he had a gun.
Volusia Sheriff's deputies were directed to a home in Port Orange after tracking the cell phone used to text 911.
Volusia Sheriff's office said at 10:23 a.m., deputies arrived at the home and contacted the girl’s father, who said she was inside with her family.
As deputies approached the girl, she was holding her cell phone, which was ringing as she walked out to meet the deputies.
When answered, Volusia Sheriff’s Dispatch was on the line and deputies verified they were on the scene.
The 11-year-old told deputies she got the idea to prank 911 through a YouTube challenge and thought it “would be funny.”
Volusia Sheriff's Office says the child is charged with making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner, a felony, and misuse of 911, a misdemeanor.
The child was taken to the Family Resource Center for processing, then transferred to the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
The sheriff warns parents how important it is to closely monitor kids’ use of social media.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office is hosting several community forums -- beginning Monday -- to help parents protect their kids from Internet dangers.
The meeting schedule is below. Each event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m.:
- Monday, July 31: First NSB Church, 200 Faulkner St., New Smyrna Beach
- Monday, Aug. 7: Tomoka Christian Church, 1101 E. Plymouth Ave., DeLand;
- Wednesday, Aug. 9: Deltona City Hall, 2345 Providence Blvd., Deltona;
- Monday, Aug. 28: DeBary City Hall, 16 Colomba Road, DeBary;
- Tuesday, Aug. 29: Mission San Jose of Saint Peter, 165 Emporia Road, Pierson
