Montello man arrested for pretending to be kidnapped, tying himself to a chair

Brandon Arbuckle by Brandon Arbuckle

Columbia County Sheriff's Office

A Montello man was arrested for pretending to be kidnapped and tying himself to a chair on Wednesday.

According to a news release from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, a female contacted deputies and said she received text messages and a call from her husband saying he was kidnapped and “being held against his will.”

Reports said Darrel Moll, 45, was zip tied to a chair where he worked in the town of Pacific. A number of demands were made through texts to the wife, who later contacted the Sheriff’s Office.

The release said deputies looked at the messages after meeting with the woman. They went to the man’s place of employment and found his truck parked in the back of the building. Officials found a door open, and a man could be heard yelling for help.

Authorities said they walked into the business and found Moll strapped to a chair with zip ties. Moll said in a statement that he was securing the business at the end of his shift when an unknown person attacked him from behind and hit him in the head.

Moll said he was knocked unconscious and woke up several minutes later tied to the chair inside the business. He said the suspect made him call his wife and told her to comply with their demands or else he would be killed.

No evidence was found during the investigation that supported what Moll said, as he did not have any injuries. Moll admitted in a follow up interview that he lied about the kidnapping and had tied himself to the chair.

Detectives arrested Moll and booked him into the Columbia County Jail on charges of obstructing an officer and unlawful use of a phone.

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