A 17-year-old Florida boy who falsely claimed he was kidnapped by four Hispanic men last month and then shot himself in the leg “to continue the ruse” has pleaded no contest to multiple charges against him.
Prosecutors charged Caden Speight as a juvenile with presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance, making a false report of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a minor, WFTV reported.
Prosecutors announced they had agreed to the no contest plea, which means the defendant accepts the punishment as if he were found guilty but avoids a trial while refusing to plead guilty, on Thursday.
As CrimeOnline reported, Speight texted his mother and claimed he was kidnapped by four “possibly” Hispanic men in a light colored truck, prompting law enforcement to issued an Amber Alert and launch a search for him. They found the boy’s truck, abandoned with the doors open, and evidence of a single gunshot.
But then officials found video showing Speight buying a bicycle, tent, and camping gear at a local Walmart before making the text to his mother.
“Caden simply rode away towards Williston while the rest of us were left to think the worst and my team was working in overdrive to solve this case,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said.
Speight continued the deceit when he was located, telling officers that he had been kidnapped and shot. But investigators say he deliberately shot himself in the leg to “continue the ruse” before he was found.
Speight’s parents initially refused to allow their delinquent son to speak with detectives.
The conditions of the plea deal prosecutors allowed are not known, WFTV said. He will be sentenced when paperwork is finished.
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[Featured image: Caden Speight booking photo and surveillance video of him with bike he bought before claiming to have been kidnapped/Marion County Sheriff’s Office]
