It was a horrifying tale that spread fear around a Colorado state park: An attacker stabbed a wildlife ranger on Tuesday and ran away, prompting a manhunt and an evacuation of the park.
The ranger, Callum Heskett, 26, was airlifted to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. And officials closed Staunton State Park for nearly 24 hours as several law enforcement agencies helped search for the attacker.
But in reality, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday, the ranger had injured himself and orchestrated an “elaborate hoax” claiming there was an attacker. Mr. Heskett was arrested and charged with attempting to influence a public servant, tampering with evidence, false reporting to authorities and related charges. He remains under a doctor’s care at the hospital but will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail upon his release, the authorities said.
As the investigation progressed, the authorities said, they noticed “inconsistencies” in Mr. Heskett’s account, which compounded their concerns about “conflicting and questionable evidence.”
“After investigators conducted their first interview with Heskett,” the sheriff’s office said, “it became even more clear that his story was flawed and erroneous.”
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined on Thursday to specify the inconsistencies that had led them to question Mr. Heskett’s account.
Sheriff’s office representatives said on Tuesday that they believed the attack had been targeted. Investigators said the attacker was described as a white man about six feet tall in his early 30s with brown hair and weighing 200 pounds. He was said to be wearing a gray shirt and bluejeans.
Officials placed several schools on lockdown during the search and issued an alert to 8,600 residents in the area to warn of potential danger. As part of their inquiry, the authorities detained and interviewed two people of interest, who they determined had no involvement, the sheriff’s office said.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Heskett had a lawyer.
Mr. Heskett was a seasonal employee at the park, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. A spokesman for the park declined to comment on his employment status on Thursday but acknowledged that the wildlife agency was aware of the charges.
Staunton State Park, which is about 40 miles southwest of Denver, covers nearly 4,000 acres and includes 37 miles of trails. It has 25 campsites and 25 picnic sites. A visitors page for the park says that it offers “diverse landscapes, ranging from grassy meadows at 8,100 feet to granite cliffs over 10,000 feet.”
Hannah Ziegler is a general assignment reporter for The Times, covering topics such as crime, business, weather, pop culture and online trends.
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