By Police1 Staff
WHITNEY, Texas — A man who claimed his truck was vandalized after he wrote pro-police messages on it has been arrested after officers determined the incident was a hoax.
According to Fox 4, Scott Lattin, a disabled military veteran, claimed his vehicle was tagged with graffiti and damaged after he displayed pro-police messages on it.
The incident caught the attention of a local news station and resulted in the setup of a donation page to cover the $5,000 in damages done to the pickup.
According to Police Chief Chris Bentley, the news report is what tipped police off that something was amiss.
Damage done to the interior of the vehicle — which was featured in the news report — was not present when police originally investigated the incident.
Lattin has been charged with making a false police report. Officials said he may face more charges.
Chief Bentley is reportedly working to refund those that donated to Lattin and has asked the public to cease sending money to the family.
“One of the social media pages said ‘My husband is an officer, I can give you $25 because that’s all I can afford.’ That just ripped at my heart,” Bentley told Fox 4.