Michael Dutz of Farmington, Illinois, decided to blame an innocent Black man when his car was stolen during a drug deal gone wrong.

Dutz told police three men jumped in his car and sped off while he paid for gas on December 15, reports KWQC. He named 24-year-old James Jackson as a suspect. Dutz also told the authorities his 1-year-old son was in the back of the car when Jackson "stole" it.

Officers issued an Amber Alert that was canceled when police realized it was all a lie.

Dutz wasn’t a worried father. He was a drug dealer who was burned, according to police.

“Dutz was allegedly robbed during a drug deal and had used the infant as a way to pursue charges against the alleged persons who robbed him,” Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) said in a statement. “At no time was an infant abducted or was there any car stolen.”

Dutz used a picture of a random baby from the internet for his report, reports Central Illinois Proud. Law enforcement is supposed to determine if a child is in immediate danger and is real before issuing an alert.

Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell defended law enforcement’s response to the hoax.

"The information at the time of this call that was relayed to the police department, we would have that same judgment to get this information out to the public sooner than later," the sheriff said. "You cannot go backwards in time and time is crucial in events like this, where we have a child in danger."

Asbell hopes there won’t be any copycats.

"We need to be cautious when we put these alerts out," he added. "It's the Boy Who Cried Wolf Theory: If we have an overabundance of false claims that we put out there, the public will no longer consider them valid.”

Dutz is facing several felonies related to his lie, including burglary, false police report, false representation of police statement and false 911 call.

The 18-year-old is being held on $50,000 bond, according to the Journal Star. He wanted to be released on his recognizance, but a judge denied his request due to his criminal history. Dutz’s first court date is scheduled for December 26.

Jackson was found to be "not involved in any way" by the Fulton County ESDA.

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Mitchell Dutz

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