Criminal Justice
Pregnant Lawyer Charged Over Fake Kidnap Story
Posted Dec 14, 2007, 04:38 pm CST
By Martha Neil
A pregnant lawyer who—according to police and her own husband—falsely claimed that she was kidnapped has been charged with making false alarms.
If Karyn McConnell Hancock, 35, is convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, reports the Associated Press. Hancock herself reportedly recanted the kidnapping story when she was questioned by police.
As discussed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, she initially claimed that she had been abducted at gunpoint near her Toledo, Ohio, law office.
Hancock had a "meltdown" and is seeking treatment, according to her husband, and may have felt under pressure because of claims by two clients that she had taken funds without authorization, according to AP. One of the two has filed a lawsuit against her.
Updated 5:05 p.m. CST.