The editor of a Show Low online news outlet is charged with two felonies after authorities say she made several fake social media posts about the case of a 16-year-old boy missing for nearly two years.
According to the Navajo County Attorney's Office, 50-year-old Molly Kathryn Ottman reported that the stepfather of Jarrett Brooks had implied he molested the teen in several posts to the website Reddit.
Investigators later determined she made the posts herself. A grand jury indicted Ottman on a Class 5 felony of obstructing a criminal investigation and fraudulent schemes and artifices, which is a Class 2 felony.
Officials say Ottman's alleged actions drew valuable resources away from the search for Brooks.
“A 16-year-old boy was missing and all of law enforcement’s energy and resources should have been able to remain focused strictly on the search for that young man," Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon said in a statement. "Diverting attention, resources and time to fabricated evidence creates unwarranted distractions during time-sensitive investigations. "
Ottman is the editor of the online publication Mountain Daily Star. She is scheduled to appear in court on June 2.
Brooks was 16 when his family reported he had run away from his Joseph City home following an argument with his parents. He has not been heard from since and would now be 18.
