May 27, 2020 – Village of Richfield, WI – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is announcing a breaking development in the child enticement incident that was reported to have occurred May 8, 2020 in the Village of Richfield near Whispering Ridge Drive and Scenic Drive. It was originally reported that a juvenile female was approached by a man who attempted to abduct her and then fled the area in a brown van.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has been actively investigating this incident over the past several weeks. Over the course of the investigation, several inconsistencies in the juvenile’s story were identified by our agency. Washington County Sheriff’s investigators confronted the juvenile with these inconsistencies today at the Sheriff’s Office.
The juvenile admitted that at no time did a man approach her and attempt to abduct her. She reported that a male subject was walking down the road in her direction from a distance and that she believes she heard him say “come here.” She said that she became fearful and ran from the area. She admitted to fabricating the story to authorities.
There is no credible threat in this case. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is no longer looking for anyone or any vehicle in relation to this report. We take all reports seriously and dedicate all necessary resources to the pursuit of justice.
We received an almost overwhelming response from the community in this case and all leads were looked into. We are appreciative of the community response to this incident and are saddened by the fear, anger, and uncertainly that this report caused within our community. If any good can come of it, it allowed many families to have important discussions with their children about real dangers that are out there and will hopefully initiate conversations about the importance of truthfulness.
It is a crime to file a false police report in the State of Wisconsin. However, in this case no criminal action will be taken based on the juvenile’s age and lack of prior contact with law enforcement.