JACKSON – A Rich Square man had the tables turned on him, Tuesday, after making a claim that his 1991 Chevy Lumina Van was stolen.

Joseph Lamont Humphrey, 25, of 278 South Main Street in Rich Square was arrested after an investigation conducted by the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office revealed that he had given conflicting information regarding a stolen vehicle.

According to Northampton Sheriff’s Detective Brenda Burnette, Humphrey initially reported the vehicle stolen on June 15 and subsequently told an assistant District Attorney that he had given the men permission to use the vehicle.

&uot;He came into the Sheriff’s Office and said that his van, which was actually registered to his father, was stolen and gave me the name of an individual he believed to have taken it,&uot; said Burnette.

&uot;Upon investigating the information, I located the suspect and questioned him and he confessed that he had indeed taken the van illegally. He also gave me the name of the person that allegedly helped him do it,&uot; she said.

Following up on the lead, Burnette drove from Northampton County to Bertie County to interview with a man incarcerated at the Bertie County Jail.

&uot;He was in there on some other charges and when I questioned him about the incident, he too, confessed to being involved with stealing the vehicle,&uot; she said.

However, as the investigation began to unfold, Burnette discovered that Humphrey had changed his tune. &uot;He told one of the assistant DA’s that he had given the men permission to take the vehicle,&uot; she said. &uot;He told me one thing and the DA another, so one way or another, he was providing false information.&uot;

Humphrey was charged with a misdemeanor for making the false report and placed under a $300 secured bond at Northampton County Jail where he has since been released. Burnette commented, &uot;He contacted me this Tuesday and I explained to him that he had to suffer the consequences of his actions. People really need to think about how their actions are going to affect them and the other people around them before they do something like this. When they come in to report something, they need to be serious because it might backfire on them.&uot;

The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office has filed a complaint against Humphrey. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 12.

The charges on the two men have since been dismissed.