Colorado Park Ranger Accused Of Making False Report Of Being Stabbed

Colorado sheriff's deputies launched a monolithic hunt for a man wanted for stabbing a parkland ranger — only to study nan reported onslaught was an "elaborate hoax," officials said Thursday.

Callum Heskett, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife seasonal ranger astatine Staunton State Park, will look aggregate misdemeanor and felony counts stemming from nan allegedly mendacious report, according to nan Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Heskett, 26, radioed for thief astatine astir 9:30 a.m. connected Tuesday, saying he'd been stabbed earlier giving a elaborate explanation of his attacker who had fled connected ft astatine nan authorities parkland adjacent Denver, officials said.

The sheriff's section sent an alert to 8,600 section residents to look retired for nan fishy while respective "schools and adjacent citizens were asked to stay locked down for safety," according to nan sheriff's statement.

The department's SWAT and drone teams and authorities aerial assets were sent connected nan hunt, officials said, arsenic Heskett was airlifted to nan hospital.

Two "people of liking were detained" and interviewed, earlier they were released, according to nan sheriff,

"As nan investigation progressed, inconsistencies successful Heskett’s statements emerged. That, on pinch different conflicting and questionable evidence, further raised concerns astir nan validity of his allegations," nan sheriff continued.

"After investigators conducted their first question and reply pinch Heskett, it became moreover much clear that his communicative was flawed and erroneous."

The sheriff called nan study by Heskett an "elaborate hoax."

It's believed Heskett stabbed himself and was still nether a doctor's attraction connected Thursday, officials said.

He's facing a slew of charges including felony suspicion of an effort to power a nationalist servant and tampering pinch grounds on pinch misdemeanor mendacious reporting to authorities, reckless endangerment and obstructing authorities operations and nan petty discourtesy of charismatic misconduct.

It wasn't clear connected Friday greeting of Heskett had hired aliases been assigned a defense lawyer to speak connected his behalf.