A Polk County man is behind bars after deputies say he reported an armed robbery to get out of going to work.

Brian Anderson, 32, told deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office two unknown suspects had taken his money, necklace, and his phone before jumping into a car and driving away.

Deputies responded to the scene however shortly realized it never happened. Anderson confessed he made up the story because he didn’t want to show up for his 11:00 a.m. shift at a Hardee’s where he works.

The sheriff’s office joked in a Facebook post “On the bright side, Brian didn’t have to go to his 11:00 a.m. shift at the restaurant.”

“He’s already a pedigree thug. Forty-one felony arrests, eight misdemeanor arrests, been to prison four times,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. 

“What if somebody really needed that deputy at a crash scene to do CPR? What if somebody really needed that deputy to save their life? And he has got not only this deputy, but patrol deputies who are setting up perimeters, helicopters that are going to be flying in and trying to locate the suspects. Drone units, K-9 units, possibly all tied up.” 

Anderson was arrested and charged with Misuse of 911 and Knowingly Giving False Information to Law Enforcement