MARION CO., Fla. — The Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said a teenager's claims that he was shot and abducted, evoking an Amber Alert, were false.
On Sept. 25, deputies responded to a reported shooting in Dunellon and located 17-year-old Caden Speight's car, but could not locate him.
An Amber Alert was issued for Speight, and many of the initial details were based on claims Speight made in a text message to his family, per HCSO. The alert said law enforcement believed Speight may be with four unknown men, possibly Hispanic, driving a light colored van.
Speight was found safe in Willinston the following day. Three days later, MCSO said the initial details he texted to his family were proven to be false. Deputies did find evidence of a single gunshot where Speight left his truck, but his claims that he had been shot and abducted were disproven.
Deputies said Speight bought a bicycle and camping supplies before going toward Willinston. MCSO said Speight shot himself in the leg before walking onto the roadway, where he would be found.
In a post to Facebook, Sheriff Billy Woods said, "To continue the ruse, Caden (Speight), who had a handgun with him since the beginning of all of this, chose to shoot himself in the leg, causing a non-life-threatening injury just prior to walking out to the roadway where he would be located by citizens in Williston. There is ZERO chance that Caden’s gunshot wound came from any type of assailant. "
MCSO said they are still processing all the evidence in the case and that this investigation is ongoing.
Clearwater takes step toward creating public electric utility as Duke Energy pushes back
Clearwater leaders are considering a historic move: severing ties with Duke Energy and establishing a city-run public utility.
