Arrests Follow Staged Kidnapping
Counselor and students face charges after a birthday prank prompted 911 calls.
Oct. 22, 2007— -- A birthday prank involving a staged kidnapping ended with the arrest of three students and a school counselor Saturday after concerned onlookers called 911 and officers responded with their guns drawn.
The incident took place around 5 p.m. near the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities, a public boarding school for gifted junior and seniors in high school located on the campus of Ball State University.
Sgt. Joe Krejsa of the Muncie Police Department said a 17-year-old female student walked the target of the prank to a designated roadside spot. He was then knocked down and "abducted" by a pair of 16-year-old teens clad in black and wearing ski masks.
As the birthday boy, who turned 16, was sped away in a Jeep Wrangler owned and driven by the 23-year-old school counselor, the girl allegedly let out a mock scream of fear.
"We got a bunch of calls saying there was a kidnapping," Krejsa told ABC News. "One of the callers said a kidnapper had a gun."
The scene triggered "a bunch" of 911 calls, Krejsa said. One witness followed the jeep and provided authorities with the exact location of the car. Muncie police responded, pulling over the SUV and drawing their weapons to interrupt what they believed was an actual kidnapping.
Student counselor Miron Reynolds, identified on his staff biography as "Mike," was arrested and charged with hazing, disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was held for less than an hour at the Delaware County Jail, according to Capt. Richard Pickett of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
Reached by phone at the number listed on the school's staff directory, Reynolds, one of the school's 14 student life counselors, declined to comment about the incident.
The three teens, who were not identified by police, were also charged with hazing and disorderly conduct. They were released to a representative from the school.
Reynolds has been placed on indefinite leave and may face additional consequences, Vickie Barton, the academy's executive co-director and director of residential and student affairs, wrote in an e-mail to ABC News. The school is not currently considering any action against the students involved, she wrote.
