Depending on who you follow on Facebook, you might have seen a post shared about a man kidnapped and robbed in Macon, Georgia.
The rumors stated that Christopher Keys was kidnapped by two black men, taken to a hotel and robbed of his money, keys and cell phone.
However, the real story is more complicated than that.
Because of this rumor, local news station 13 WMAZ did an investigation into the situation.
The rumor shared around Facebook stated that Keys, a married man and local youth pastor, was kidnapped from a local CVS parking lot after shopping and forced to a motel. There the kidnappers stole his phone, about $70 cash and his keys.
After he got away, he recovered his phone which was discarded in a Walmart parking lot and tried to call 9-1-1. However in his story, no one answered.
When he did get a hold of emergency services, he was told by law enforcement there was nothing they could do for him.
This was the story Keys told his friends and family and this is what was passed around Facebook.
His story, though, is not what actually happened.
Yes, Keys was robbed and yes, he surprisingly recovered his phone from a Walmart parking lot. However, he did not end up at the motel because he was kidnapped.
Instead, he was there soliciting sex from a Craigslist ad.
Keys told deputies he was just going to lie to his friends and family and state he was kidnapped. From there, the rumor spread.
When 13 WMAZ heard of this rumor, the idea that they missed a police report for a kidnapping worried them, so they looked into the case. The statement that emergency services didn't answer was concerning as well.
Because of all the confusion surrounding Keys rumors and 13 WMAZ's story, the Bibb County Sheriff put out a statement and set the record straight.
Once the truth came out, deputies charged Keys with "solicitation of sodomy" which is how Keys was outed.
Despite the use of the term "sodomy" in the charge, you cannot be charged with a crime based on it. However, offering to pay for sex, or solicitation, is still illegal in much of the United States.
There is also an issue with the fact that this story outed Keys' sexuality. Some see this as just a horrible side effect of the truth of the story.
It'd be best if someone who isn't heteronormative is allowed to control when or if they are outed, but spreading a harmful rumor forced the truth out.
Keys has since been let go from working as a youth pastor for the Wesleyan Drive Baptist Church. The sheriff's department is still investigating the robbery as well, though without a focus on kidnapping.
