A Canandaigua man was arrested Tuesday after authorities determined he falsely reported an armed individual following him in the Town of Hopewell.
The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office charged Robert Merkley, 39, of County Road 50, with third-degree falsely reporting an incident after an investigation revealed his claims were untrue.
Deputies responded around 1:16 p.m. to the area of County Road 46 and Smith Road following Merkley’s report that he was being followed by an armed suspect.
After a full investigation, deputies concluded that the incident never occurred. Merkley was arrested and transported to the Ontario County Jail, where he was arraigned on the charge. He was later released and is scheduled to appear in Hopewell Town Court at a later date.
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