Mattice Pleads Not Guilty In False Abduction Case

MAYFIELD, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York woman has pleaded not guilty to a charge she lied about being abducted by a man and held in a shed for two weeks.

Twenty-four-year-old Rachael Mattice entered the plea on Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an abduction.

Investigators say the search for the Johnstown woman cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They say the effort involved 130 officers, rangers and volunteers who chased down 400 leads. It began on June 22 and ended on July 6.

Defense attorney Robert Abdella asked that onlookers reserve judgment. Mattice is due back in court on Oct. 18.

She's also charged with petit larceny in a separate case in which she's accused of stealing prescription medication. Her attorney says she'll plead not guilty.