Chicago Police Department
CHICAGO — A suburban man was arrested in Chicago Friday after allegedly telling his friends he had been kidnapped as a "joke," police said.
Matthew Barker, of the 34800 block of South James Street in St. Charles, sent text messages to friends late Friday saying that he'd been kidnapped, and asked them to call police, police said in a statement. When Barker's friends couldn't reach him, they contacted police, and an investigation followed, police said.
Barker, 32, was found several hours later, safe and sound. He told police at the time he'd texted his friends as a joke.
He was charged making false report, a felony, police said.
