Man Makes Up Story About Knife Assault in Woods to Impress a Girl, Police Say

A Rochester Hills man told police two men held a knife to his neck and pointed a gun at him on a wooded trail near his home early Wednesday morning, but he later admitted he made up the story to get attention from a girl.

The 28-year-old man, who was first assumed to be a victim but is now considered a suspect, was released by deputies pending a warrant for charges related to filing a false police report. Detectives will be submitting the case to the Oakland County Prosecutor's office, according to a sheriff's office report.

Deputies responded to the man's call at 1:30 a.m. at near Hampton Circle in Rochester Hills. The man told deputies he was walking in the woods when he was approached by two males; one pointed a gun at him and called him a "terrorist," he reported to police. The other man removed a fillet knife from the "victim's" pocket, unsheathed it and held it against the victim's neck, he said. The two strangers searched him for cash, then ran away, the man reported.

Deputies were unable to locate the two men or any witnesses. "The complainant did not have any signs of or complaints of injury," the report stated. "He and a female friend were interviewed by deputies who discovered many inconsistencies with the complainant’s report," the report stated.

Later, the man admitted he made the story up to get attention from the girl he was visiting at the apartment complex. 

The man is currently enrolled in law school, the report stated.