Police: Gay rights activist faked abduction

Keith BieryGolick | The Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Police Detail Kidnapping Hoax Lt. Jim Vetter from the Green Township Police Department talks about fake abduction claims by gay rights activist Adam Hoover.

CINCINNATI — A gay rights activist has been charged with making false claims on social media that he was abducted and put into the trunk of his car after leaving his job at a local Chipotle restaurant.

Adam Hoover, 20, of Harrison, will be booked into the Hamilton County jail and likely face a judge Wednesday morning, WXIX-TV reported.

Green Township police Lt. Jim Vetter said Hoover's story was a hoax, and it was "readily apparent" after investigators talked to him.

"This is a young man dealing with some issues in his life right now and for whatever reason he decided to stage this kidnapping and abduction," Vetter said.

"The bottom line is, he made allegations that he was abducted and that turned out not to be true."

After the incident concluded Tuesday morning, Hoover's mother Anna posted on Hoover's Facebook, asking the public for time to figure everything out.

"Adam has helped so many people please help me help him," she said.

Chris Seelbach, a Cincinnati City Council member active in the gay rights community, told The Enquirer he was glad Hoover was OK.

"I hope he gets any help he needs," he said.

Hoover posted a plea for help, supposedly from the trunk of his car, to social media early Tuesday.

He claimed in texts message to friends and a Facebook posting he was forced into the trunk of his car at the restaurant's location off Glenway Avenue. He said his abductor threatened to kill his family.

His tweet was retweeted more than 1,000 times and his Facebook post was shared more than 450 times.

The hashtag #FindAdamHoover quickly made the rounds on Twitter and Facebook, and concerned citizens from all over the U.S. claimed they called Hoover's mom and several police departments in and around Harrison.

Multiple police agencies — including some in Kentucky and Indiana — aided in the search.

Police found Hoover after a Miami Township resident called 911 saying someone had knocked on their door seeking help at 1:30 a.m.

The resident did not let Hoover inside, but he could be heard sobbing loudly from the front porch.

"I'm really cold," Hoover told a police dispatcher. "My feet hurt really bad. I can't feel them."

After the resident gave Hoover the phone, he recounted his elaborate story to police.

He said his supposed abductor told him to drive him to his Harrison home. Scared for his family members' lives, Hoover said he instead drove onto Interstate 74 and then I-275.

Another car began following them once they got on the highway, Hoover told police.

That's when, Hoover claimed, his supposed abductor forced him to stop and put him in the trunk, according to the 911 call.

Hoover said he was afraid to call 911 from the trunk because his abductor might hear him.

Eventually, the man stopped and opened the trunk. Hoover said he kicked him and ran away. He told police he didn't know where he was.

"I just ran, that's all I could do," he told police.

Hoover said his abductors began driving up and down the street looking for him. They were laughing as they did, he told police.

Vetter said he listened to the 911 call and thought it was very believable.

"And why would you not?" he said. "Someone shows up and he makes these claims - you take it at face value. You don't want to say, 'wait a minute.' Time is of the essence."

Vetter said that after Hoover posted on Facebook, 911 dispatchers were inundated with calls, which is often the case if something is spread on social media.

"We would just request to anybody: obviously don't make something up that didn't happen because you're utilizing valuable resources that can be used when someone is truly in need of help and is in trouble," Vetter said. "God forbid we had another incident at the same time. It would have sucked a lot of our resources."

"Obviously we were very concerned. We were utmost concerned for his safety," Vetter said. "We wanted to make sure he was indeed safe. Anytime you get a call like that, you take it at face value -- that this is a true abduction -- and we are going to use every resource available and make sure he is located safety. That's what we did in this case."

Vetter said Hoover was taken to hospital for evaluation. He was cited and will appear in court to face the charges.

Vetter said he did not expect anyone else to be charged in the incident.