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An Ohio man is charged with kidnapping over a social media prank, officials say.
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An Ohio man is facing charges after officials say a social media prank victimized a child.
Justin Simmons, 30, is charged with impersonating a peace officer and kidnapping.
“I believe my client was overcharged and we deny the assertion that his conduct raised to the level of Kidnapping or any felony,” Simmons’ attorney, Brad Moermond, told McClatchy News on Oct. 20 in a statement.
On Sept. 23, Simmons was at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati pretending to be a SWAT officer, WKRC reported.
Simmons was on video telling people he was taking them into custody, according to the news outlet.
Simmons detained a minor, WLWT reported. The incident “terrorized” the child under 13 years old and caused them “great distress,” court records said.
Simmons was arrested Oct. 15 and has since posted a $60,000 bond, court records show.
Moermond said Simmons was wearing a fake mustache that was falling off and did not have a gun, WKRC reported. The attorney agreed that the video was inappropriate and advised Simmons to take the video off social media, which he said he did, according to the outlet.
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Jennifer Rodriguez
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