ONEIDA, NY — A 55-year-old man was arrested after police determined his report of a double homicide was false.
The Oneida City Police Department responded to a reported double homicide at about 7:50 p.m. April 8 at a residence in the city.
Officers contacted occupants of the residence and conducted a search to locate potential victims and assess for evidence of a crime.
The investigation determined there were no victims and no evidence to support that a homicide or any violent crime had occurred at the location.
Officers identified and contacted the individuals alleged to be victims.
Both parties were confirmed to be alive and safe, and reported they had not been in Oneida at any point during the day.
Robert Harp, 55, of Oneida, was taken into custody and charged with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree.
During a search incident to arrest, officers located a quantity of methamphetamine on Harp’s person.
He was additionally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.
