Florida Teen Who Faked Violent Kidnapping Could Soon Be Charged: Cops

The initial details that Kaden texted to. his family were proven to be false. Completely made up. >> 17-year-old Cadence Spate is at the. center of a firestorm in Central. Florida. His disappearance on Thursday, September 25th. It sparked not only a. frantic search by law enforcement in the. community, but also an Amber Alert. But. now, the Marian County Sheriff says it. was all a hoax, and they're still trying. to get answers about exactly what. happened here. We are going to take a.

closer look at what officials say. they've learned in the last few days. How Spate's family is responding, some. of the theories swirling around this. case, and will he face charges. We're. going to break it all down with a. retired NYPD detective. Welcome to. Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber. A mother's desperate plea posted to. Facebook last week kicked off a. community search for her son, 17-year-old Cadence Spate. In her post, Annie Spate wrote, "I got a message that.

I need help. Four Hispanics in a white. van. One driver. I'm shot. Looks like. the tracks headed towards Denellan. Nothing found with helicopters or dogs. I was told police are looking in ditches. and river in case they dropped him off. somewhere along the way. Please help. find him." Now, soon an Amber Alert was. sent out and deputies in Marian County. They mobilized helicopters, K-9 units, patrol teams. The statewide announcement. read, "A Florida Amber Alert has been. issued for Kaden Spate, a white male, 17.

years old, 6 feet tall, 150 lbs, brown. hair, brown eyes. Last seen in the area. of the 12,800 block of Southwest Highway. 484 in Denellan. He may be in the. company of four unknown males, possibly. Hispanic, traveling in a light colored. van. If located, do not approach. Call. 911 immediately." So really, really dire. situation, scary situation. Okay. Between his mother's post and the Amber. Alert, the story exploded on social.

media. Photos of Cadence Spate, they. spread like wildfire. We covered it. right here on Sidebar. Thousands of. people invested in getting him home. safely. But then something strange. happened. Things started to take a turn. on Friday when the sheriff's office. released new information that Spate had. been seen at a Walmart in Ocala, Florida, around 40 minutes away from. Denellan. Surveillance photos from the. Walmart store, according to Marian. County deputies, showed Kaden Spate.

buying a bicycle and a tent just before. he was allegedly kidnapped. A local. witness, Jackson Mccclure, even told. WESH2, "I passed by here around 4:00 and. there was a boy getting something out of. the truck and shoving it into a book. bag. And then about 10 15 minutes later, I believe he drove by my house on a. bicycle. He looked normal and he wasn't. struggling to ride his bicycle." So, while deputies no longer believed that. Spate had been violently kidnapped, right, he was still missing. He was.

still considered endangered. But on. Friday, deputies announced, quote, "Kaden has been located safe in. Williston. This investigation is still. ongoing. More updates will be provided. as they become available." Now, his mom, Annie, updated everyone on Facebook. saying they found him. Praise the Lord. Thank you so much for all the love and. support. He is in surgery. We are so. blessed that he is with us. We have. gotten so many people that have reached. out to us and our apologies for not. getting back to you all. These last two. days have been just awful. I will tell.

you this is a very demanding life of a. reporter and host and I need fuel to. keep my energy up throughout the day as. we do all these different sidebars. But. a lot of supplements and bars that are. meant for onthe-go snacking. They're a. mess. They got misleading labels. They. have really complicated ingredients. That is why I love what our sponsor. Equip is doing. With Clean Nutrition in. mind, they are all about real food. first. Transparent sourcing, third party. testing. There's no toxins or fillers. sneaking in. Their Prime Bar isn't just. another protein bar. No, it's a. grass-fed beef superfood bar that tastes.

just like dessert, except there's no. junky syrups and seed oils. Equip is. built with real functional ingredients. like 20 grams of pasture-raised protein, dates, and honey for natural sweetness. You can keep a box on hand when you need. that sweet fix. So, you can go to. equipfoods.com/sidebar. You guys are going to love how clean and. delicious these bars are. They're going. to be a household staple for you and. your family. And by the way, right now, Equip is giving my audience an. incredible offer. You can hit the link. right here. you go directly to. equipfoods.com/sidebar.

Either or. And you use my promo code. sidebar, you'll get 20% off of your. first order or 35% off of your first. subscription. So, thank you to Equip for. making the best bar on the market and. partnering with us. And so, now after. several more days of investigation, Marian County Sheriff Billy Wood says. even if the gunshot was real, Spate. faked the kidnapping. I know many of you. have been deeply invested into the this. case of Kaden Spate when you heard the. initial alarming information that was.

being given to us. Many of you even. joined in to help in any way you could. And I want to commend my deputies and. detectives that sprang into action and. worked through the night and into the. next day on this. In addition, we also. had help from around the state and. federal agencies. Many people reached. out. Now, because of their hard work, the initial details that Kaden texted to.

his family were proven to be false, completely made up. We did find evidence of a single gunshot. where Kaden left his truck. However, his. claims that he had been shot and. abducted were quickly disproven. We then learned that he had purchased a. bicycle, tent, and camping supplies just. prior to him reporting this. Now, I want. to make something abundantly clear.

Probably many of you are asking, "Well, why do you diverted so many resources?". The truth is, in all cases, we cannot. take anything that's done or said. lightly. We have to take it as though it. was the truth in the beginning cuz. heaven forbid if something just made one. little turn and it turned out to be the. truth. So because of this alarming of amount of. red flags that initially kept going up,

we had to continue the investigation. But here's the thing, we had witnesses. that contradicted the initial. information. Cadence simply rode away towards Willist. while the rest of us were left to think. the worst and my team was working in an. overdrive to solve this case. Now cont to continue the ruse, Kaden, who had a handgun with him since the. beginning of all of this, chose to shoot.

himself in the leg, causing a. non-life-threatening injury just prior. to walking out to the roadway where he. would be located by citizens in Willist. There is zero chance that Kaden's. gunshot wound came from any type of an. asalent. Now, many of you have asked, will Kaden. be facing any charges? What about the. taxpayers cost of this large-scale. investigation and search? Trust me, it. is on my mind. I can tell you those.

items are not off the table at this. point. Right now, we are still. processing all of the evidence in this. case. I don't want to make any. statements on that until we have fully. examined it all. Naturally, my detectives had a lot of. questions for Katon. However, his parents refused to allow my. detectives to speak with him so that we. could come to a true final conclusion in.

all this. Again, thank you citizens for your tips. and information that you sent in. And. when we do have any updated information. on this case, I promise you we will. provide it to you. All right. Clearly a. lot to break down here. So, I want to. talk about all of this very bizarre. case. I want to welcome back on to. Sidebar, retired NYPD detective and. co-host of the Gold Shield Show, Tom. Smith, who last time I saw him gave me. this really, really cool pin. Look at. this thing. You guys sell this, by the.

way? It's awesome. It's really uh it's. heavy. I love it. It's great. Do you. sell this? >> Yes, we do on our website. >> Okay, great. I encourage everybody to. get it. There you go. I love it. Thank. you. Okay, Tom, this is a really weird. one. So, apparently you have this. teenager who made up a whole story about. being shot, violently abducted, held. hostage. He's back home safe and sound. with his parents. We'll get into like. possible charges, outcome of all that. What is your reaction to this? It's as a law enforcement officer of 30.

years, it's infuriating because I know. exactly the resources that went into. this and the mindset of every detective. and every cop that was out there looking. for him. Think about it, Jess. You have. all the worst crimes on a checklist. Kidnapping, someone with a gun, a young. boy taken, you know, abducted, taken. from the scene, possibly shot. You have. all the worst crimes in one category. going after and out on the street. looking for him. So, everyone is so.

raised up and wanting to get this done. It is an allout effort, all hands on. deck when it comes to something like. this. So, the infuriation that this was. made up is resonating, I am sure, throughout that entire department. >> Yeah. because there was a race to make. sure he was safe that he wasn't abducted. and to see that this was like a hoax or. allegedly a hoax is just it's I mean. have you ever dealt with something like. this before we move any f uh move any. further on this I mean have you seen I. obviously I'm sure there's false. reporting false crimes but something.

like this have you ever seen anything. >> not to this extent we've had you know. individuals who have run away and then. made up stories because they didn't want. to get in trouble with running away you. know that has happened but to this. extent of, you know, the story and the. kidnapping and descriptions and all. that. And, you know, remember back when. I was on patrol, we didn't have an Amber. Alert. So, that gets amplified even more. these days with more and more people. being notified and on the lookout for. this person. So, let's break down some.

of the things that Sheriff Woods had to. say in that video update and how the. public is reacting. First up, according. to Sheriff Woods, Spate shot himself in. the leg, okay, ending up with a. non-life-threatening injury. A Facebook. user commented on the update asking, "How do you walk and ride your bike to. Willist with a gunshot to the leg?" I. mean, that's an interesting question. When did the gunshot happen? I mean, Tom, that's fair. >> Oh, absolutely. You know, and you know, I'm sure this young boy is not a doctor, so he's taken a awful chance shooting. himself in a leg where anything can.

happen. It could ricochet off his bone, get caught in an artery, anything like. that. So, that obviously is not the. smartest move in the world. And then, you know, it depends on where he shot. him. Uh I'm not aware of where exactly. on the leg he inflicted this wound, but. you know, to the extent of thinking of. that is just absurd. By the way, there's. another commenter uh who speculated. something else that maybe maybe Kaden. Spate had been messing around with a.

gun, went off accidentally, hit his leg, panicked, made up a story so he wouldn't. get in trouble. Things escalated very. quickly when his family notified law. enforcement. You know, the word spread. on social media. It still would be. strange about what he was allegedly or. seemingly purchasing um you know at that. Walmart. But possibility. >> Oh, sure. That's actually a possibility. And that's part of you know when the. sheriff mentions the investigation. continuing, some people will look at it. and go, why? You know, you have them, everything's done. And it's farthest.

from the truth. Where's the gun? Where. to get it? Who's is it? You know, all of. that is going to be part of this. investigation and then into like you. just said just in that one comment of. when that wound was inflicted. By the. way, this is a really good example of. the impact that the internet and social. media can have on rapidly developing. cases. I mean, here this was a situation. where as soon as he went missing, and. yes, there were kind of strange details. that came out, but it was a story that.

quickly got picked up. And and is that. something police value? You have the. public invested in this providing tips, providing information. How much of a. help is it? And could it interfere in an. investigation in a way? >> Oh, I think these days it is a. tremendous help. And the more law. enforcement uses it, the more the. beneficial it is. You know, I've said it. on your show numerous times, Jesse. The. police can't be everywhere, but the. public can be. And that's what police. use today with getting information out.

so quickly, especially photos, because. someone's going to see this young man. And that's exactly what happened. The. usage of social media and photos and. getting it out to the mass amount of. people it can in an instant is. invaluable when it comes to, you know, cases and law enforcement these days. >> The sheriff talked about red flags that. popped up in this investigation I. mentioned before with um why it was. getting so much attention on social. media. Maybe one of the reasons. this is a this is a situation where.

they're first alerted that this person's. missing, the mother is panicked. How do. investigators start looking? Well, is. this actually what it seems to be when. they talk about red flags? They don't. have tunnel vision automatically. thinking it's a kidnapping. They I mean, I guess that's the question. How do they. assess red flags in in a case like this? >> Well, it's a it's a number of things. It's it's finding the car, going through. that car, uh looking for any evidence of. an abduction or anything like that. And.

then it's an interview of the mother, you know, and looking at her phone and. maybe possibly pinging his phone to get. a location of where he is. And I think. all of that took place very quickly. because of the circumstances that police. were led to believe was going on. So all. of that gets done very quickly. And you. know what? seasoned investigators and. detectives, you know, can look at a. crime scene or look at some information. pretty quickly and start to determine. whether this is legit or, you know, they.

need to investigate it a little more and. lower the temperature a little bit. So, I think all of that just took place very. quickly when it came to this. According. to the sheriff, the fact that Spate's. parents seemingly refused to let. investigators speak with this teen, their son, that has ignited a lot of. problems online, a lot of criticism. You. had one Facebook user who commented, "Interesting that the parents aren't. allowing the sheriff's department to. speak to their son." Kaden was clearly.

seeking attention and running from. something. There absolutely should be. consequences for his actions once the. investigation has been completed. Marian. County Sheriff's Office, you all did a. fantastic job right from the beginning. Another user said, "If they refuse to. let you speak with them, then charge. them for the thousands and thousands of. dollars that we just spent on his butt. That is insane." Tom, if this is true, and they don't want investigators. speaking with their son, what does that. tell you? >> He is an adult. He is 17 years old, and.

in the eyes of the law, he is an adult. So, they don't have full power o over. him. you know, that would be his. decision with with not talking to. investigators. But, you know, it's a. twoprong thing, Jess. You know, you look. at them, let's just say he has a trouble. past and this is a problem and it's just. two parents protecting their child. I. get that and I think everyone would get. that. But the bigger investigation has. to be done of who is aware of this. Was. anyone else involved? Was this more of a. scam than just an attention getter? So,

all of that, like the sheriff stated, these are things that are going to be in. interviews, in digital investigations. Where did he text? Who did he text? What. other messages were on mom's phone and. his phone with anyone else they were in. communication with? So, there's still a. lot to look into when it comes to this. Before we get into potential charges. that he could face, anything the parents. could face by seemingly refusing to let.

investigators speak here? >> Uh, no, not I mean, yeah, could you get. an obstruction charge, you know, against. them? I think that would be a a big. stretch, but this determines what else. is out there. And that's what I mean. I. think that's why there's not a lot of. talk of the charges yet because there's. still a lot to look through uh when it. comes to the digital, you know, investigation they're going to do on. everyone's phone, emails, all that. stuff. So, the charges, you know, are on.

hold until this is fully vetted out and. see who's responsible for what and who. knew what. >> Let's talk about potential charges. against Kaden Spade. Okay. You know, you're talking about waste of resources. You're not talking necessarily him. calling 911 and making a false report, per se. Um, you know, he messaged his. mom, but I'm wondering, could you have. an obstruction charge? Could you have a. disorderly conduct charge? I look at. past cases as I was thinking about this.

Whether it be a misdemeanor or a felony. would be an interesting question, but. this is a problem. If you talk about. helicopters and drones and resources um. that could have been dedicated to real. crimes when this is going on, taking. these allegations as true. A do you. think he should be charged and B, what. do you think those charges could look. like? Well, I think he should be charged. because like I said, I've been there and. what the pace is like and everyone's. attitude with with dropping everything.

they're doing and like you said, you. know, dedicating the resources that are. needed in like I stated in the beginning. of this, Jess, a kidnapping, someone. with a gun, uh, an abduction, all of. that is a high priority alert to every. law enforcement officer out there. So, a. lot of things get put on the shelf and. everyone goes to this. So, the dedicated. resources are enormous with this. He. could face uh filing a false report, obstruction, uh reckless endangerment.

with firing that weapon. You don't know. who else would be around that could get. hit by that round if it goes through him. and hits somebody else. So, reckless. endangerment, possession of a weapon, all of those are absolute legit charges. that he could be facing. >> That's a good point. That's a good. point. You know, by the way, one more. thing I'll mention here about this that. the family members who had pleaded for. help in finding Kaden, they have gone. quiet. A woman named By Spate Clark, who. said she was Spate's sister, wrote on. Facebook, "God, I just want him home. I.

can't sleep, eat, or do anything not. knowing where he is, and if he is safe. Please don't stop searching or looking. There's still little to no information. on what happened or where he could be. I. don't understand why this happened. Just. bring him home." But it appears that. post has since been deleted from her. page and she's changed her name on. Facebook to remove the surname Spate. Okay, that's what it looks like to us. So Tom, you know, another facet of this. age of social media is online soothing. People are able to dig into the online. lives of people who are close to a.

suspect or close to a victim. Talk to me. about the kind of impact that has on. loved ones who may not even be directly. involved. Like you have a family member. who just was concerned and is now caught. up in all of this. >> Oh, 100%. And that's the selfish act of. this if that's what it leads to be. You. know, think about just put yourself in. those parents and that sister's mind. that you know, you get a text message. that your brother or son has been shot. and taken. I mean that is beyond belief.

of what your emotions are going to go. through and understandable with the way. social media is today and re removing. that post and changing the name and all. that because once it gets figured out. that it was not real and a hoax. You can. imagine the backlash she's going to get. on social media from people and she may. have nothing to do with this and it's. she's still going to get blasted on. social media and she doesn't want to. deal with that. So that I can understand.

100%. And one of the most alarming. things about this is this message that. he sent his mom. And you had one. Facebook user who pointed out that even. if this entire thing was a hoax, there. was no reason for Kaden Spate to. implicate people of a different. ethnicity in his lies. They wrote in. part, "He tried to make it about race. when it came to his fake abduction. He's. Jesse Smlet of Marian County. Nothing. but a liar. He positively should be. charged and made to pay back all the. money it took to look for him. He's.

almost a grown man at 17, not a little. child, to be acting so stupid. Tom, that. was interesting to call him the Jesse. Smlette of Marian County, Florida. I. mean, I I will tell you, as I was. researching this and I was thinking. about potential charges, I did look up. the Jesse Smilelette case, right? Disorderly conduct. Talk to me about. that. >> Yeah, 100%. uh you know you you look at. the two cases and they're very similar. other than you know inflicting a gunshot. wound but what the resources were the. climate at the time the description of.

perpetrators that did this crime all of. it is very similar and there could be a. restitution charge as well with the. amount of money and overtime and. resources that were belotted from law. enforcement that his parents or him are. going to have to pay that's certainly. going to be on the table. >> by the way if he's charged do you think. that that would be something that's. dealt with in juvenile court? >> No, he's an adult. He's 17 years old. It's going to be a criminal court case. >> Well, this is uh quite a development. We. jumped on it immediately when it was.

going on, particularly because we. started seeing some weird stuff that was. happening. Um we'll see. We'll see if he. gets charged. And I encourage everybody, Gold Shields, not only buy this, but. also check out the show as well. It's. great. Um Tom Smith, thank you so much. for taking the time. Appreciate it. >> Always a pleasure, Jesse. Thank you so. much. >> And that is all we have for you right. now here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank. you so much for joining us and as. always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get. your podcasts. You can follow me on X or. Instagram. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll see you.

next time. [Music].