It sounded like a terrible emergency. It was around 10:30pm on July 9th, what started as a quiet Wednesday in Stouffville. That all changed when Durham Regional Police received a series of frightening phone calls from a victim who told them he'd been stabbed in the stomach and the chest.

The man on the end of the phone related a breathless tale of encountering his assailant and managing to steal his cell phone to make the call, before hiding from his crazed attacker in a nearby cornfield and pleading for help.

Cops responded quickly, mounting an all-out hunt for the victim and the suspect, calling out a entire contingent in North Durham, turning the blades on the York Region helicopter and forcing the K-9 unit out to literally beat the bushes for both men. An ambulance was also on standby, waiting to treat a man no one could find.

In fact, cops didn't find anything until 12 days later - and even then, they didn't end up with quite what they were expecting.

They now allege the entire thing was a hoax that wasted thousands of dollars in equipment and man hours. And they've arrested a 26-year-old Goodwood man, charging him with public mischief, theft, and possession of stolen property under $5,000.

Sean Balek has a court date pending but is now free on bail. There's no word on why he might have allegedly staged the emergency.