BRAINERD — Police in central Minnesota say a report of a needle being found in a child’s Halloween candy was a hoax.

Brainerd police said Monday an investigation found the child had fabricated the incident.

On Sunday, the Brainerd Police Department sent an alert on its Facebook page about a report that a child had received Halloween candy with a sewing needle in it. The child reportedly received the candy while trick-or-treating in the Brainerd area Saturday night.

Brainerd police said in a statement they wanted to dispel any public safety concerns. Authorities in the Brainerd area have not received any other reports of tampering with candy.