Drug dealers kidnapped NC man, vowed to kill him. The odd ransom demand was $60.

Two North Carolina men have been arrested after concocting a fake kidnapping plot that unraveled when the vicious drug dealers involved demanded only $60 in ransom, investigators say.

It happened in a coastal Pender County and the intended prey was the elderly grandmother of one of the men now charged in the case, according to the Wilmington Star News.

Investigators with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office say David Eugene Lee, 36, of Rocky Point and Christopher Logan Haltom, 18, of Burgaw fabricated a wild story that drug dealers had kidnapped Lee and were going to kill him. They even went so far as to involve the sheriff’s office, investigators say.

The only way to save Lee’s life was to pay a ransom of just $60.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t explained what caused the fake kidnapping tale to unravel, but Capt. James Rowell of the sheriff’s office told WECT “the incident report tied up deputies, detectives and 911 dispatchers for several hours until the story was proven to be a lie.”

It’s unclear why the men asked only for $60.

Haltom and Lee have both been charged with obtaining property by false pretenses, filing a false police report and delaying and obstructing law enforcement officers. A $5,000 bond was set for each man. Lee faces an additional charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

A third person is expected to be charged for her role in the case, reports WWAY.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Drug dealers kidnapped NC man, vowed to kill him. The odd ransom demand was $60.."