Authorities: Pitt man faked kidnapping to get granddad to pay his drug debt
A Pitt County man has been charged with faking his own kidnapping in order to get money from his grandfather to pay off his drug debt, authorities said Thursday.
Posted — Updated
Deputies received a report at about 3 a.m. Thursday about a possible kidnapping in the Grimesland community. The man told authorities that his adult grandson, Jeremy Nichols, had been abducted and that the kidnappers threatened to kill Nichols if the man didn't pay a ransom.
Nichols also got on the phone to ask his grandfather to pay the ransom, the man told authorities.
Nichols was later returned to his grandparents’ residence unharmed.
Investigators determined that the kidnapping was a hoax that Nichols and his drug dealer concocted to get the grandfather to pay off Nichols' drug debts.
Nichols, 34, of Grimesland, was charged with extortion and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense. He was being held in the Pitt County jail under $175,000 bond.
Related Topics
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
