Caruthersville residents face charges following prank

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — What began as a prank has five Caruthersville residents facing charges.

At 12:05 a.m. Thursday, Caruthersville police officers responded to a possible abduction at Reynolds Park. A witness told police a vehicle pulled up and an individual jumped out of the trunk, then began running. A man then exited the car, tackled the fleeing person and apparently assaulted him before putting him back in the trunk. The car then sped from the scene.

A few minutes later, officers located the vehicle and a subject was found in the trunk. After further investigation, officers determined all five people in the vehicle were involved in a prank.

Two 21-year-old women, two 21-year-old men and a 24-year-old man are charged with causing a false report to be filed. They were taken to the Caruthersville Police Department and later released with a summons to appear in municipal court.