April 09, 2019 - 9:11 AM
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - An attorney says an Egyptian man who authorities say was falsely accused of trying to kidnap a young girl at a West Virginia shopping mall has returned home.
Public defender Michelle Protzman told The Herald-Dispatch Mohamed Fathy Hussein Zayan returned to his home in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday. The 54-year-old engineer had been in West Virginia for work.
Protzman says Barboursville police drove Zayan to the Charleston airport Saturday as a courtesy.
On Friday, Santana Renee Adams was charged with falsely reporting an emergency incident.
Adams initially told police a man grabbed her 5-year-old daughter by the hair inside a clothing store April 1 and tried to pull her away but stopped when Adams produced a gun. Adams later changed her account. Police said Zayan may have simply been patting the girl on the head.
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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, http://www.herald-dispatch.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2019