[Minnie]

Loss of money linked to disappearance - Robillard charged.

Police in southern Alberta have charged a man with public mischief after it was learned that his disappearance was a hoax.

Matthew Aaron Robillard's relatives called police when the 25-year-old Lethbridge man failed to show up for work Jan. 31 at a Scotiabank in nearby Picture Butte.

His car was later discovered with a smashed window in an industrial area near the Calgary airport. His keys, wallet and phone, along with a pack of cigarettes, had been left in the car. Robillard, who is a Morman, doesn't smoke.

Investigators found Robillard, a married father of a six-month-old baby, a few days later at a Calgary hotel.

"This was a ruse that spanned multiple jurisdictions and diverted valuable police resources away from real victims and actual crimes,” Ian Sanderson, acting inspector for the Lethbridge police criminal investigation division, said Tuesday in a news release.

"It’s a concern to us that someone would take these steps and cause police to continue an investigation when no crime had occurred."

Investigators believe Robillard’s disappearance was precipitated by a significant financial loss and allege the abduction was staged to make it appear as though he had been blackmailed to account for the loss.

Robillard was released on a recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court April 8.