The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A former Dayton basketball player pleaded guilty to making up a story to police about being abducted by a gunman before managing to escape.

Sammy Smith, 21, of suburban Westerville, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Franklin County Municipal Court to a charge of providing false information to mislead a public official. He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and ordered to serve one year of probation, according to the city prosecutor's office. He was fined $150.

Smith was reported missing after failing to attend classes or two basketball practices Oct. 17. The following night he flagged down a patrolman in Lake Worth, Texas, telling him he had been abducted and forced to drive at gunpoint until his escape.

The FBI and the Dayton police department investigated the alleged abduction and determined it never happened.

Smith later admitted he made up the story, but said he was pressured to confess. His parents also backed up his claim that he was abducted.

Smith, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward, played two years at Dayton averaging 1.4 points per game as a freshman and 0.9 points as a sophomore. He has transferred to Capital University in Columbus.

His mother, Debby, declined to comment on Thursday.