COLUMBUS – A Columbus woman whose false claim of a child abduction sparked an Amber Alert and a massive search for a missing girl has been charged along with the man accused of stealing the woman’s car.
“Indications she gave detectives was she made up the story to find her car faster,” said Sgt. Terry McConnell, of the Sexual Assault Unit.
Jessica Pickett will face a charge of falsification, a misdemeanor, and Bradley Stroud (right) has been charged with grand theft auto, police spokeswoman Denise Alex-Bouzounis said.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday morning for Pickett’s four-year-old daughter after Pickett called police to report that a car that was warming up was stolen in the area of Chittenden and N. 4th Street with a child in the back seat, Alex-Bouzounis said.
Dozens of patrol officers and detectives, K-9 units, and the police helicopter searched for the girl and the stolen Chevrolet Impala, which was found within an hour in the area of E. 5th Avenue and Corrugated Way, Alex-Bouzounis said.
Police received a tip that the girl was safe and had spent the night with a family friend, she said.
Soon after, officers located the girl with Pickett, 22.
Stroud, 22, was arrested for stealing the car.