Iowa woman arrested for making false 911 claims against man after getting ‘cold feet' before date

An Iowa woman was detained by police after making a false police report because she got "cold feet" about a date with a man she met on a dating app. 

Sumaya Thomas, 18, had scheduled a date with a man she met on the app. When he showed up at her house, she called 911, claiming he was her ex-boyfriend, a domestic abuser, and that she was pregnant with his baby in order to get out of the date, according to a complaint and affidavit obtained by Law & Crime. 

Thomas also told police she had known the man for years and that he wouldn’t leave her alone. “She reported him threatening to cause harm to her,” court documents stated. 

When police responded to the home, they found the man, who was leaving the premises. He informed police that he had been speaking with Thomas just a week prior on the dating app, and they had started texting. He showed the police the text messages to verify his story. He was detained for over an hour due to the accusations.  

“The conversation showed he was being honest, and he really did just meet the female,” court documents confirmed. 

After repeated questioning by investigators, Thomas admitted she made a false report because she "got cold feet" about the date. She explained that she did not think the police would help her unless she fabricated the story. 

Thomas was arrested, released from jail, and charged with two misdemeanor counts of false reporting.