What initially came in as an abduction report is now an investigation centering on a woman accused of making the story up.


Ashley Grandstaff, 22, of Bridgeport, is charged with obstructing official business, persistent disorderly conduct and inducing panic.


Police said they received a call around 9:30 p.m. Sunday about an apparent abduction after Grandstaff sent a text message to her mother saying she'd been grabbed, blindfolded and thrown in the trunk of a car at the Kroger store in Bellaire.

Police radioed Bridgeport police, where a patrolman was already talking with Grandstaff's mother at her daughter's home on Jaquette Street.


Officials said the patrolman then heard a noise in the back of the home and spotted Grandstaff running down the street. Police said Grandstaff stole $50 from her mother before jumping into a black car and taking off.

Police tracked Grandstaff to the Frances Wallace Apartments in Bellaire, where she was arrested and taken to the Belmont County Jail. Her bond was set at $2,000.

Investigators are still not sure why Grandstaff may have faked her own abduction, but that answer may come out in court.

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