Woman Accused of Filing False Report

Michelle Brown of Simi Valley has been arrested on charges of falsifying a police report after investigators found no evidence to support her claims she was carjacked at a Thousand Oaks bookstore Nov. 29.

Officers from the Major Crimes Unit of the East County Sheriff’s station in Thousand Oaks took Brown into custody Tuesday and questioned her further about her alleged ordeal, noting that investigators found no evidence of the alleged carjacking suspect, whom she described as a man with large hands.

Brown, a 20-year-old beauty school student who lives with her parents, is scheduled to be arraigned on misdemeanor charges Jan. 5.

She had told authorities that her kidnapper had hidden in the back seat of her car at the Promenade at Westlake, at Thousand Oaks and Westlake boulevards, and surprised her from behind as she drove out of the mall parking lot. The man then allegedly used duct tape to bind her hands and cover her eyes and mouth.

Brown had told police that she woke up alone the next morning, Nov. 30, still bound and in the back seat of her car, which was at a park in Canoga Park. She told police she then drove to a nearby house of a male friend, where she telephoned her father, who insisted she call police, officials said.

Investigators speculate that Brown made up the story to avoid getting in trouble with her parents for staying out all night, Bourke said.

Police detectives said they found no corroborating evidence on the 13 mall parking lot video surveillance tapes turned over by the mall’s operator.

When Brown was arrested and interviewed, she confirmed that her story was false.

The Brown family declined to comment on their daughter’s arrest.

Bourke said if Brown is convicted of the charges, she could face up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.