Arrest Made for False Report of Attack at Group Home in Southeast:

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports that the person who falsely reported a violent attack at a group home in Southeast last Friday (November 20) has been arrested. The suspect has also been charged with assaulting a hospital nurse in a separate case.

Mr. Christopher Lopez, aged 30, of 180 John Simpson Road in Southeast, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. Sheriff’s investigators allege that it was he who, at about 3:00P.M. on November 20th placed an anonymous telephone call reporting that a group home on John Simpson Road was violently attacked by an armed assailant. That call prompted a large-scale police response and forced the closure of John Simpson Road near the home for almost three hours, snarling rush-hour traffic in the area. The attack report turned out to be a hoax.

Sheriff’s Investigator James Babcock, with the assistance of Sergeant William Mooney and Deputy Johnathan Bradley, determined that Mr. Lopez had made the false report and charged Mr. Lopez with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor.

In connection with an unrelated incident, Investigator Babcock also charged Mr. Lopez with assault in the second degree, a class D felony. Mr. Lopez is accused of kicking and knocking to the floor a female nurse at Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel. That offense also allegedly occurred on November 20th just hours after the false telephone report concerning the group home was placed.

Mr. Lopez was arraigned before the Southeast Town Justice Court and was remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $500.00 cash bail or $1,000.00 bail bond. He remains held in the jail as of the time of this News Release and is scheduled to appear in the Carmel Town Justice Court on December 12th