JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The stabbing of a ranger at Staunton State Park this week was found to be "an elaborate hoax," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said. The park a few miles west of Conifer was evacuated Tuesday morning as officials searched for a man they said was suspected of stabbing a park ranger.

A 26-year-old Staunton State Park ranger is facing multiple misdemeanor and felony charges in an alleged stabbing attack reported on Tuesday morning.

Authorities discovered that a park ranger's claim that he was stabbed, which prompted a large manhunt for the supposed suspect, was "an elaborate hoax."