Jeannette woman accused of faking abduction may owe $11,500 for emergency response

A Jeannette woman accused by police of faking her own abduction could enter a probationary program that includes the possibility of paying nearly $11,500 in restitution for costs related to the massive, hourslong search for her.

Chloe Stein, 23, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday after attorneys negotiated a tentative agreement.

“It was a very difficult and tumultuous situation and I’m glad that we have some resolve for this situation,” said her attorney, Phil DiLucente.

Stein did not comment.

She was arrested May 2 after troopers said she hid for about 20 hours in her family’s detached garage while her loved ones and police searched after her car was found abandoned on a desolate stretch of a Hempfield road. She showed up at a neighbor’s house around 7:30 p.m. May 2 and claimed to have been abducted, but troopers said Stein later admitted to faking her disappearance.

She is free on $25,000 unsecured bail on misdemeanor charges of false alarm, false reports, obstruction and disorderly conduct.

Trooper Tristan Tappe said county entities and state police examined the amount of resources expended in the search to determine the restitution figure.

Troopers and local police were assisted by firefighters, dogs and a state police helicopter in combing a wooded area along Radebaugh Road. Social media posts seeking information on Stein’s whereabouts were shared widely, causing concern for community members, family and friends.

“We were experiencing severe inclement weather that day,” Tappe said. “At that time, that helicopter should not have been flown in the air and we had a corporal from the Aviation Unit, without hesitation, went up in the air searching for her. It just goes to show … the community and the resources exhausted — we would do it again.”

Police said Stein last was seen leaving the Sonic restaurant off Route 30 in Hempfield, where she worked, about 10:30 p.m. May 1. About 10 minutes later, authorities said, Stein sent a message to her boyfriend that indicated she believed she was being pulled over after turning onto Radebaugh Road from North Greengate Road in the direction of her home.

Her boyfriend and companions found the Volkswagen Beetle abandoned along Radebaugh Road underneath the bridge carrying Toll Route 66, about a mile from the Sonic restaurant. Her cellphone was inside. After family and friends exhausted all resources to try to find her, they reported Stein missing on the afternoon of May 2.

By the time she surfaced at the neighbor’s home several hours later, troopers said they were becoming suspicious of the situation after learning Stein had indicated to family that she was about to graduate college. Penn State officials told investigators she hadn’t been a student for at least a year.

Tappe said that the search shows that local agencies will work together to protect lives of those in the community.

“Although somewhat devastating, a lot of people were led on, a lot of people were lied to, not just law enforcement resources, but the community,” she said.

DiLucente thanked prosecutors for the tentative agreement. If it is approved by a judge, Stein would enter the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time, nonviolent offenders. She may apply to have her record expunged if she successfully completes the probation term. DiLucente called her a kind, “delightful young lady.”

”We’re trying to put this in her past, she’s going to have a very bright future,” he said.