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| Charges dismissed in online baby hoax |
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| DALLAS - A Dallas man will not face criminal charges for allegedly posting a fake ad on Craigslist in March to sell a baby. |
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By Craig Coleman
DALLAS - A Dallas man will not face criminal charges for allegedly posting a fake ad on Craigslist in March to sell a baby.
Salem police arrested Patrick Lee Ryan, 33, on March 26 in connection with an advertisement on the popular networking web site that offered to sell an infant for $1,000 needed to buy drugs.
The posting included a photo of an infant covered in a brown substance, and, as contact information, an e-mail address belonging to a Lebanon woman.
Officers contacted Craigslist representatives and traced the ad to Ryan's account information on the site. Ryan later admitted he sent the message and that it was a hoax, according to court records.
The woman listed as a contact was a former employer of Ryan's and wasn't involved in the prank. Salem police said there was no indication that any infants were in danger in the incident. Ryan does not have children of his own
Ryan had been charged with buying or selling a person under age 18 and a computer crime, class B and C felonies.
A Polk County grand jury was presented with the case, and on April 10 returned a "not true bill," the opposite of an indictment, said Deputy District Attorney Tim Park.
"It has the legal force of dismissing a case when it's filed in court," Park said. "Without the grand jury consent, we couldn't go forward with felony charges."
Park said that there would likely be no additional charges against Ryan. |
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