Mercer County, Ohio -
An Indiana man who allegedly fabricated and reported a child drowning in Grand Lake St. Mary's pleaded not guilty in court today.
29-year-old John Walsh of Marion Indiana is charged with making a false report, inducing panic, falsification and obstruction of official business. The judge will allow Walsh to return home until his pretrial on August 1st.
Walsh placed the calls to Mercer County 9-1-1 back in June. Emergency crews from the Celina police,fire,and street departments along with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene. The shoreline was checked,but no victim was found. Nearby surveillance video confirmed nobody was in the area at the time of the report.
