Hudson Valley Man Arrested on False Report, Assault Charges

Putnam County Police have arrested a man who allegedly falsely reported a violent attack at a group home. The man has also been charged with assaulting a hospital nurse.

Christopher Lopez of Southeast has been charged with falsely reporting an incident. Police allege that the 30-year-old made an anonymous phone call on Friday, Nov. 20 to report that a group home on John Simpson Road in Souteast was violently attacked by an armed assailant.

The call prompted a large scale investigation and forced the closure of John Simpson Road near the home for nearly three hours, during rush-hour traffic. Police later determined the emergency call was a hoax.

After an investigation that lasted almost a week, police determined that Lopez made the false report. He has been charged with a class A misdemeanor falsely reporting an incident in the 3rd-degree.

In a somewhat related incident, Lopez was charged with assault in the 2nd-degree, a class D felony. Police allege that Lopez kicked and knocked a female nurse to the floor at Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel. Police believe the assault happened just hours after Lopez phoned in the false report.

Lopez was arraigned at Southeast Town Justice Court. He was sent to the Putnam County Correctional Facility. Bail was set at $50o cash or $1,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear at the Carmel Town Justice Court on December 12th.