ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – With 41 years of experience as a barber, Tony Lohagen has heard plenty of gossip.

“Get truthful information before you start looking on social media,” he said.

Lohagen’s sentiment is echoed by local business owner Joe Ancmon, who owns Novellus Restaurant on Main Street in St. Charles. 

Ancmon said customers are discussing a recent social media post from the St. Charles Police Department that stated reports of a possible attempted kidnapping in the area are unfounded. 

“People were talking about that today—how that can ruin a city. If someone spreads a rumor that someone was kidnapped, it scares some tourists away,” Ancmon said.

Lt. Daniel Gibbons emphasized that the police take reports of crimes very seriously.

“We know that when you’re a victim of a crime or witness something suspicious, that can be unsettling,” Gibbons said.

Gibbsons, though, encourages victims or witnesses to contact law enforcement directly rather than posting allegations on social media. 

“We’re going to investigate to get to the bottom of what that was, and if there’s a danger to our community, we’re going to let our community know,” Gibbsons said.

Gibbons said in this case, the report was made by an individual who tagged the police department instead of contacting them directly. He urges the public to avoid spreading posts that haven’t been verified.

While spreading false information on social media is not a crime, the police remind the public that injured parties can seek compensation through lawsuits. 

Additionally, it is a crime to file a false police report.