Lake City homeless man falsely reports self as robbery suspect

LAKE CITY, Fla. -- A man was charged with fraud - false statement after police say he called in a false robbery report and listed himself as the suspect so he could be arrested since he is homeless.

Andrew Alexander Brown, 19, called the Lake City Police Department on Sunday night and reported that a robbery had occurred at the intersection of N. Marion Avenue and N.E. Franklin Street, according to a release from the LCPD.

Brown used a false name and told police that "a robbery by knifepoint" had happened. He gave his own physical description when describing the robbery suspect, who he told police was "now fleeing north on Marion Avenue," the release stated.

Police found Brown walking in the middle of N. Marion Avenue and told them he had "just robbed a person at the corner of N. Marion Avenue and N.E. Franklin Street."

He changed his story after LCPD officers and Columbia County Sheriff's Office deputies searched the area for about 20 minutes looking for a victim.

Brown is being held on a $1,000 bond.

First Coast News