Florida Boy, 17, Arrested After Police Say He Staged His Abduction, Shot Himself in Leg to Support False Narrative By Chris Spargo

Local authorities have announced the arrest of a Florida teenager who allegedly went to elaborate lengths to stage his own abduction.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office booked Caden Speight, 17, into custody on Wednesday, Oct. 15, on charges of presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance, making a false report of a crime and possession of a firearm by a minor.

Because he is a minor, he was taken to the Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center after his arrest instead of the county jail.

The charges against Speight stem from a series of incidents which began on the afternoon of Sept. 25.

On that day, Speight allegedly texted his family that he had been shot, at which time deputies were dispatched to the last known location of his cell phone, according to a news release from the MCSO.

“Crime Scene Technicians observed a bullet hole through the windshield of the vehicle, suspected blood, Speight’s severely damaged cellphone, drag marks in the dirt, and bicycle tracks leading away from his truck,” said the release.

After examining the scene, the MCSO and a number of outside agencies dedicated resources and personnel to the investigation, believing that Speight was kidnapped and that his life might be in danger.

The alleged hoax ended up being exposed the very next day, however, when deputies located Speight during a call for service, according to the release.

Deputies had also spoken with an eyewitness who claimed to have seen Speight leaving the alleged crime scene on his bicycle.

Speight did not confess after deputies tracked him down, despite being in possession of both the handgun investigators later learned was used to fire a bullet through the car windshield and the bicycle he was allegedly seen riding as he fled the scene.

Instead, Speight allegedly tried to use a fresh gunshot wound as evidence that his claims were true, according to the release.

Investigators allege that the injury was actually a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, which shattered his femur and required medical treatment.”

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A forensics search also uncovered additional evidence to support investigators’ belief that the kidnapping was a hoax.

“While continuing the investigation, detectives additionally learned that Speight had mentioned running away before, and they located ChatGPT searches on his laptop about collecting his blood without causing pain and Mexican cartels,” the release said.

At the conclusion of their two-week investigation, deputies were able to outline what they believe to be the actual series of events.

After examining and testing evidence from the crime scene, investigators stated that “Speight had fired the shot through the windshield, splattered a mixture of blood in the truck, and destroyed his cell phone.”

Once that was complete, investigators alleged that “Speight then fled the area on a bicycle with camping supplies he purchased at Walmart just before reporting this incident.”

Shortly after he allegedly took off from the scene on his bike, deputies issued an AMBER Alert for the teenager. The MCSO also reported that he had been shot after seeing his wound, and only later alleged that it had been a self-inflicted injury.