Phony cry for help sends cops on massive search

Police from Sequim to Pierce County spent much of the day Friday scrambling to find a 12-year-old boy who had left a note for help at a restaurant, only to find out later it was all a hoax.

The search began about 1 p.m. after the wait staff at the Applebee's restaurant in Sequim found the note, written in crayon, beneath a plate used by the boy. The note read, "Help me."

But by then, the boy and two men with him had left.

Sequim police began an immediate search, calling in off-duty officers and a detective to begin checking motels in the area, notifying the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and following up on leads.

They narrowed the search down to an address in Pierce County, and notified the Pierce County Sheriff's Office to check the location for the boy.

Meanwhile, volunteers canvassed local businesses and neighborhoods looking for the car the boy had left in.

Finally, about 7 p.m., deputies in Pierce County were able to confirm that the boy was safe and in the legal custody of his father. They discovered the note had been left as a joke.

Sequim police are tallying the costs of the massive effort to locate the boy and will forward the information to their city attorney's office with the possibility of billing the boy's family for the expense of the search.

Sequim police Chief Robert Spinks credited the restaurant staff for taking the note seriously, and said his agency had to do likewise. He expressed relief that the boy was not in danger.

"At the very least, this is going to offer one family a pretty important learning moment for a young child," he said.