Local authorities have reported the arrest of a Florida boy who allegedly went to great measures to fabricate his own abduction.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Caden Speight, 17, on charges of presenting false evidence, shooting into a vehicle, filing a false report of a crime, and minor possession of a firearm.
Because he is a kid, he was sent to the Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center rather than the county jail following his arrest.
The charges against Speight derive from a series of events that occurred on the afternoon of September 25.
On that day, Speight allegedly texted his family claiming he had been shot, prompting deputies to go to the last known location of his cell phone, according to an MCSO news release.
“Crime Scene.” Technicians discovered a bullet hole through the vehicle’s windshield, probable blood, Speight’s heavily damaged cellphone, skid traces in the soil, and bicycle tracks leading away from his truck,” according to the report.
After inspecting the area, the MCSO and several other agencies committed resources and personnel to the inquiry, assuming Speight had been kidnapped and that his life was in danger.
The suspected deception was discovered the next day, when deputies located Speight during a call for assistance, according to the announcement.
Deputies also spoke with an eyewitness who claimed to have seen Speight leave the alleged crime site on his bicycle.
Speight refused to confess after deputies apprehended him, despite having both the handgun that detectives later discovered was used to fire a bullet through the car windshield and the bicycle he was purportedly observed riding as he fled the scene.
According to the announcement, Speight allegedly attempted to utilize a fresh gunshot wound as proof to back up his accusations.
Investigators claim that the injury was a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, which shattered his femur and required medical treatment.”
A forensics investigation revealed further evidence that supports authorities’ suspicion that the kidnapping was a fabrication.
“While continuing the investigation, detectives additionally learned that Speight had mentioned running away before, and they located ChatGPT searches on his laptop about collecting his blood without causing pain and Mexican cartels,” according to the news statement.
Following their two-week investigation, deputies were able to sketch what they believe to be the true sequence of events.
After studying and testing evidence at the crime scene, police concluded that “Speight had fired the shot through the windshield, splattered a mixture of blood in the truck, and destroyed his cell phone.”
Following that, authorities claimed that “Speight then fled the area on a bicycle with camping supplies he purchased at Walmart just before reporting this incident.”
Shortly after he allegedly fled the scene on his bike, officers issued an Amber Alert for the adolescent. The MCSO also stated that he was shot after witnessing his wound, but then claimed that it was self-inflicted.
