Rumors of an attempted abduction outside a Thibodaux business are unfounded.
That's the message from Thibodaux Police Chief Bryan Zeringue.
According to Zeringue, his officers investigated the rumors after someone started spreading them on social media. Those posts claimed that a van allegedly involved in an attempted abduction was spotted outside several local businesses.
Zeringue says his office never received or responded to any calls or reports of an attempted abduction. Still, officers searched for and found the van described in the Facebook posts. According to Zeringue, there is no evidence to support the claims of an attempted abduction or any other crime.
Zeringue is now asking residents to refrain from posting or sharing social media posts about alleged crimes unless they come from credible law enforcement sources.
"False information as such can easily be added to an actual incident or when re-written/shared from someone who 'heard' something," Zeringue said in a press release. "However, rather than taking matters into your own hands via social media, we encourage our community partners to contact your respective law enforcement agency with any suspicious activity you may observe or learn about so it can be properly investigated and addressed."