A false rumor about drivers being attacked on local roads in St. Mary's County, Maryland, has prompted an official response from the local sheriff's office, which denies receiving reports of roadside attacks.
The rumor being shared on social media claims that drivers are being attacked after objects strike their cars or they drive over debris and pull over to inspect their vehicles, the sheriff's office said in message posted on their website Thursday.
"If roadside attacks had been reported to the Sheriff's Office, the Public Information Office would immediately alert the public to such activity," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Authorities first learned of the rumor spreading on Facebook on Wednesday evening and began an investigation into the supposed incidents, Jason Babcock, a public information officer for the St. Mary's County sheriff, said via email.
The sheriff did receive a report of rocks in the roadway of Piney Point Road on Oct. 7, but no report of a driver being attacked was filed, the sheriff's office statement said.
And the sheriff's office did learn indirectly of a reported assault at Route 235 and St. John's Road in Hollywood, Maryland, on Oct. 16, but no robbery occurred, authorities said. That case is under investigation.
The two incidents are apparently not related and no other reports have been filed, the sheriff's office said.
