ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — A Horseheads man is being charged after falsely reporting a crime that led to the arrest of an Elmira man.

According to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the Town of Southport on Nov. 15, 2022, for a call about a robbery. When they arrived, Esmond J. McComis, 20, of Horseheads, was identified as a witness.

McComis told police that an Elmira man wielding a handgun stole $1,000 in cash from McComis’s then-girlfriend. McComis provided a written statement and later testified to a grand jury about the armed robbery. His testimony led to the suspect being arrested and held in the Chemung County Jail.

A police investigation into the armed robbery revealed that McComis had lied about it taking place, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. McComis turned himself in to the Chemung County Court on Aug. 11. He was charged with first-degree perjury (a class D felony). This charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

McComis’s first court appearance was held on Aug. 11, and he was released due to a pre-arranged agreement. After his court appearance, McComis was photographed and fingerprinted at the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office.