Overview
- The 17-year-old pleaded no contest on Oct. 23 to presenting false evidence, making a false report, and weapons offenses, and he is being handled in the juvenile system.
- He was ordered to serve at least one year of house arrest with electronic monitoring.
- Additional sanctions include 100 hours of community service, a firearms safety class, mandated counseling, and a suspended driver’s license.
- He must repay law enforcement for the response, with reports putting restitution at about $25,000.
- Investigators say he staged the abduction with a text falsely naming “4 Hispanics,” created a bullet hole and blood evidence, destroyed his phone, searched related topics on ChatGPT, and shot himself, prompting an Amber Alert later canceled when he was found in Levy County.