ALLIANCE, Ohio — Alliance police say an 11-year-old boy who accused Joshua Freyermuth of attempting to kidnap him last month is facing a misdemeanor charge of making false alarms in Stark County Juvenile Court.
The decision to charge the boy came after authorities "reviewed all the evidence, including interviews with the juvenile."
Earlier this week, Freyermuth was indicted by a Stark County grand jury on a felony charge of aggravated possession of drugs. However, the grand jury returned a "no bill" on the charge of attempted kidnapping.
Freyermuth pleaded not guilty to the drug charge during his arraignment in Stark County Common Pleas Court on Friday. He was released on his own recognizance and will have a pretrial hearing on Oct. 17.
Here's what we know about Freyermuth's case, according to the Alliance Police Department.
CASE BACKGROUND
Alliance police say at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 20, officers were notified that “the guy from the Facebook posts” was in the area of South Mechanic Avenue and East Oxford Street, “attempting to lure kids."
"Officers located the van and investigated. During the investigation, the driver was identified as Joshua Freyermuth. It was found he was indeed in the area driving around but for the purpose of locating and speaking to an adult female that he was in a short relationship with," Alliance police noted in the release.
Freyermuth was found to have approximately 1.6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the steering wheel of his van, plus a glass bubble pipe "with a quantity of methamphetamine inside of it" found hidden under the driver's seat, according to the police report. The report also stated that as officers placed Freyermuth under arrest, they allege that "with the purpose to prevent/delay officers," the suspect lied about his activities, changed his story multiple times, and provided misinformation despite knowing an official investigation was underway.
Officers took Freyermuth to the Alliance City Jail and charged him with possession of methamphetamine (F-5), obstructing official business (M-2), and possession of drug paraphernalia (M-4). He was released on his own recognizance.
"There were no statements, evidence, or allegations of Freyermuth actually attempting to 'lure children,'" Alliance police noted in its release.
Two days later, on Sept. 22 at around 9 a.m., police were called to the 900 block of South Webb Avenue for a report that a man had attempted to kidnap an 11-year-old boy from his front porch.
"When officers arrived, they were told the suspect was a male wearing women’s clothing, a wig, and carrying high heels shoes. The reporting parties at the residence made mention of a subject that had been posted and circulated on social media the week leading up to this incident. The posts labeled him as a 'child predator' and alleged the subject was 'luring kids' into his van," police described in the release.
RELATED: Suspect accused of attempted kidnapping of child in Alliance was arrested days earlier, records show
After the allegations were made, a probable cause warrant for attempted kidnapping was issued. Police found Freyermuth at a home in Columbiana County just before 6 p.m. and booked him in the Stark County Jail.
"Throughout the following days, officers and detectives of the Alliance Police Department conducted multiple interviews and investigated other leads. At the conclusion of the investigation, severe inconsistencies were found in statements that had been made on the day of the reported incident, and to the timeline and location of the suspect," Alliance Police Chief Akenra X explained in a release.
The case was sent to the Stark County Grand Jury for review. On Tuesday, jurors returned a "no bill" on the attempted kidnapping charge and an indictment against Freyermuth on a count of aggravated possession of drugs. "We respect the process and decision of the Grand Jury," X stated.
RELATED: Stark County grand jury clears suspect of attempted kidnapping in Alliance, indicts on drug charge
"We would like to thank the community for their concern for the safety of our citizens, especially our children," X added. "We obviously feel the same for all persons in our city. APD will continue to fully investigate any report of criminal activity, regardless of the outcome. We have a responsibility to the safety of our community and the members of our community, regardless of lifestyle. This investigation is ongoing."