Man fakes kidnapping to avoid lover

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NEW YORK, March 3 (UPI) -- A New York City man was arrested and charged with faking being kidnapped to avoid telling his girlfriend why he was gone for two weeks.

Rahmell Pettway, 36, was discovered by passersby early Thursday between two cars parked on a street in Brooklyn, the New York Post reported.

His hands, legs and mouth were covered with duct tape, and he complained of pain in his ribs, police said.

When being questioned by police, Pettway said he had been kidnapped by two men in a blue minivan on Feb. 19. They then held him captive for about two weeks, driving him around from place to place, Pettway said.

However, authorities became suspicious of Pettway's story and he soon confessed that the kidnapping was a hoax, saying he had been avoiding his girlfriend for a couple of weeks and was terrified of facing her.

"He's a total moron," said one law-enforcement official. "It was a pathetic attempt to pull the wool [over] her eyes."

Pettway was arrested and charged for filing a false report.