2 charged with false reports after ‘prank’ kidnapping

JACKSON, Tenn. — Two people appeared before a judge Monday after court documents say they admitted to setting up a kidnapping and robbery as a prank.

Brandon Bills, left, and Raneisha Johnson

Brandon Bills, 32, and Raneisha Johnson, 20, are each charged with filing a false report. Bills is also charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Court documents say Jackson police responded to a report of a home invasion and kidnapping around 8 p.m. Thursday at an apartment on Parkwood Trace Drive. Court documents say the two people in the home said a man wearing a mask and armed with a gun knocked on the door, entered the apartment, and pointed a gun at them.

Court documents say Johnson struggled with the armed man, and witnesses told police they saw Johnson walk out of the apartment and get into a white Crown Victoria with the individual.

The vehicle was stopped about 10 minutes later on Roosevelt Parkway. Police found Bills and Johnson in the car, along with a mask and 12-gauge shotgun in the front seat, according to court documents.

Bills and Johnson later admitted to investigators that they had set up the kidnapping and robbery as a prank, and Bills showed investigators Facebook messages discussing the prank.

Bills is currently in custody at the Madison County Criminal Justice Complex on $30,000 bond. Johnson has been released from custody on $30,000 bond.