ROCKLAND — Police say that a Rockland man made up a story about his son biting into a piece of local Halloween candy with a needle inside.

Justin Sanford, 29, was charged with false reporting Nov. 7 by Rockland police.

After police further investigated the incident, they found that the man fabricated the story and it was completely false, according to a news release from the department Nov. 6.

On Nov. 5, Sanford had posted on social media that his son had bitten into the candy with the needle inside.

“Although the Rockland Police Department does encourage parents to check any candy given to their child for signs of tampering prior to it being ingested, citizens should also be aware that confirmed cases of Halloween candy having been altered is extremely rare and that this local report has been found to be completely false,” police stated on its Facebook page.

“False reporting is a burden on police resources and takes away time and energy that could be utilized for true victims. Any false reports made will be investigated and charged accordingly,” they added.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com