Lang
7/17/19
A Tiffin man has received a five-day jail sentence for perpetuating a kidnapping hoax earlier this year.
26-year-old Frank Arnold Tanke of Kimberlite Street received the sentence Tuesday in Johnson County District Court as part of a plea deal.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office received calls from Tanke’s family and friends on March 5th reporting that he’d been kidnapped and was going to be killed. Arrest records indicate Tanke’s mother shared a photo of her son that showed him bound and gagged lying in a snow-filled ditch. One of Tanke’s friends said he received a message that Tanke was bleeding out and only had one hour to live.
Multiple deputies spent the night unsuccessfully looking for Tanke.
Just before 10 the next morning Tanke returned home and his mother called 9-1-1. Tanke told investigators he’d been kidnapped by two men dressed in black, wearing ski masks and carrying handguns. He said he’d been knocked out, gagged, tied up and thrown in a vehicle. Tanke claimed the two men drove him to a remote location, threw him in a ditch and stayed with him through the night. He said he was able to escape the next morning and run home.
An investigation determined that Tanke had fabricated the entire story.
In addition to the five-day jail sentence, Tanke was fined $315. Online records show in lieu of paying the fine he has the option of completing community service.
