Truck placed OOS after passenger calls police to falsely report his kidnapping

A semi truck was placed out of service for multiple violations after police were called by the truck passenger to falsely report his kidnapping. 

The incident happened at about 9 p.m. on April 20th in Lavonia, Georgia. 

According to the Lavonia Police Department, the Hart County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a man stating that he had been assaulted and kidnapped. 911 dispatchers tracked the individual through his phone, allowing police to locate the vehicle he was in – a green semi truck. 

When police pulled the truck over, they encountered two hispanic men who reportedly did not speak english. The passenger in the truck who called to falsely report his kidnapping had some injuries and it appeared he had been in some sort of altercation. The truck driver was not injured. 

The officers report that communicating with the two men was difficult due to a “severe” language barrier, and obtaining “verifiable details” from either man was also difficult, even with a translator. 

“Officers were ultimately unable to determine what type of crime occurred, or even where it may have occurred.  It was confirmed the passenger was willingly in the vehicle with the driver,” the Lavonia Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

Officers then contacted the Georgia Department of Public Safety Commercial Vehicle Enforcement to inspect the semi truck, which was placed out of service due to multiple violations. The truck was then towed away and impounded. 

“The investigation into the passenger’s alleged assault is still ongoing and we are attempting to determine the exact location of the incident, which may lead to more information as to who is responsible,” Lavonia Police Department concluded in the Facebook post.