Cheating Husband's Faked Kidnapping Leads To Manhunt

Tampa Bay resident Wikler Moran-Mora texted his wife to say he had been kidnapped and wouldn't be let go until he gave his captors money.

He texted her again, saying, "Don't call, take it easy, they said they will let me go," and "Everything is alright, I'll be home soon," reports 'Tampa Bay Online'.

But his worried wife called law enforcement.

After a full-scale manhunt, deputies tracked him down. Turns out, it was a hoax -- Moran-Mora faked his kidnapping so he could cheat on his wife.

The incident began shortly after midnight Wednesday. By 6 AM, the 38-year-old was arrested and charged with giving a false report to law enforcement.

Twenty deputies, including canine units, searched for the man on Wednesday morning and were finally able to trace him using his cell phone.

They found him sitting at a 7-Eleven. He admitted to deputies he sent his wife the texts even though he had never been in danger and planned to go home after a coffee.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says the search cost them $4,000.

"Thank God we didn't have a legitimate emergency that would have required those resources," says sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

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