HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — A West Virginia woman was cleared on Monday of charges that she made up a story about an Egyptian man trying to kidnap her child in a shopping mall.

A Cabell County jury found Santana Renee Adams, 25, of Milton, not guilty of falsely reporting an emergency, news outlets reported.

Adams was initially hailed as a hero after claiming she used a gun to thwart the attempted kidnapping of her 5-year-old daughter at a mall in Barboursville in April 2019. She told authorities that the man tried to drag the girl away by her hair, but her story unraveled when no witnesses were found and surveillance video didn’t support her claims.

The man was released from jail and Adams was charged.

Adams reiterated her allegations in court Friday that the man grabbed her daughter by the ponytail, which is when Adams said she pulled out a gun and told the man to let go.