Woman accused of making up kidnapping by intruder not indicted

A Butler County grand jury has declined to indict a Lemon Twp. woman on felony charges for allegedly making up a story that she was being held against her will and posting a video on social media.

Thelma Williams, 38, of South Verity Parkway, was charged with a felony count of making false alarms following an incident in September. The case was certified back to Middletown Municipal Court on a misdemeanor charge of making false alarms, according to the grand jury report released today.

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Williams waived her right to a preliminary hearing in October, and she was released from Middletown City Jail on her own recognizance.

Williams was arrested on Sept. 27 after Butler County Sheriff’s deputies investigated her claims for hours, including using the department’s helicopter to search for an alleged suspect.

Williams initially said a masked intruder entered her home, bound her and cut her clothes off, said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.

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Williams went on to say the suspect used her phone to videotape the event and later posted the videos to her Facebook account, according to deputies.

Williams said that, prior to leaving her home, the suspect called a contact on her phone and left the phone by her side. She went so far as to tie herself up and put underwear in her mouth as a gag, Jones said.

After hours of investigation, including putting the sheriff’s department’s helicopter in the air to find the alleged suspect, Jones said detectives “found the story to be a total fabrication.”

Detectives said Williams indicated she wanted attention from her family, and when law enforcement arrived, she continued with the ruse.

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