BLANCHESTER — A local minor teenager faces a charge of making false alarms after allegedly making up a story about an attempted abduction, police said.

Blanchester Police Ptl. Sarah Luken spoke with the teen who stated that, minutes earlier, the teen and two pre-teens “were walking on the sidewalk when a man in a green truck offered them money to get into the truck with him,” according to a news release from Police Chief Scott Reinbolt.

The teen “provided a description of the man and the truck” and said the two companions fled, he said.

“Tips were received from citizens in the area regarding a green truck that had been seen around town during the prior month, with the tipsters referring to its driver as a ‘creepy’ man,” stated Reinbolt. “Over the next three days, officers attempted to locate the truck without success, while Ptl. Luken continued her investigation.”

Ptl. Luken located and interviewed the youths who were with the victim the day of the alleged attempted abduction; both “insisted the event never occurred,” said Reinbolt.

“Unfortunately, false reports like this one tend to cast a cloud of doubt on legitimate reports of this nature,” stated Reinbolt. “The case was therefore sent to Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Moyer for consideration of a charge of making false alarms” against the youth.

“Last week Mr. Moyer’s office approved the filing of those charges, which will be heard in the Clinton County Juvenile Court,” said Reinbolt. “The crime of making false alarms includes reporting a crime to police knowing that the crime did not occur.”