A Kansas City, Mo. man called in an apparent hoax hostage situation last week, sending the Parkville Police Department and Platte County Sheriff’s Office into response mode.
The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 1 in a home on NW Graden Road in Parkville, Mo. Dispatch advised officers that a male party, identifying himself as Chris Brenner, claimed to have a younger man at gunpoint.
Chris Brenner
The man asked for $50,000 from the sheriff’s office to assure the safety of his hostage. The caller advised officers to knock on the window upon arrival with the money, but “if he saw any guns, he would shoot the officers.”
According to court documents, the caller claimed to have a Glock 19 and gave officers 10 minutes to respond. He said “Jake” was tied to a chair in the house.
Upon arrival, officers contacted the homeowner and asked all occupants to exit the residence. Five adults — three males and two females — came outside, including a 34-year-old named Chris Brenner.
Officers detained two of the males while another officer kept visual contact with the other three persons, who remained in a prone position on the lawn.
Three law enforcement officers then cleared the house with another standing guard out back. No other people were found in or outside the home.
After receiving the phone number of the caller reporting the hostage situation, an officer dialed the number, and Brenner’s phone — which had been detained — began to ring. Brenner claimed he “broadcasts” his phone number for others to use through a website, but he could not explain why someone would use the number to call in a hostage situation while knowing his location and the exact description of his location.
Brenner denied calling in the hostage situation, but the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office filed a felony charge of attempted stealing through coercion in connection with the incident. On supervised pre-trial release in regards to a federal child pornography charge, he remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $10,000 cash-only bond.