OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Saco resident Eric Auger has been cleared of a charge of criminal restraint, after investigators determined he did not try to abduct a 3-year-old child last month.

Police are investigating whether the parents of the child should be charged with filing a false public report.

On June 22, Old Orchard Beach police responded to a report of a child being taken by a stranger in the area of the Pine Grove Cabins and Vacancy Pub on Ocean Park Road.

The parents of a 3-year-old child told police last month that while their son was playing in a grassy area near the cabin, a man walked over to the boy, picked him up, and began running away with him, according to a police statement last month.

The parents told police that the father of the child ran after the alleged abductor and was able to free his child, according to last month’s statement.

Based on witness reports provided on June 22, Auger was charged with criminal restraint, according to a police statement issued Monday. Criminal restraint carries a jail sentence of three to five years.

Auger, 37, told police he was at the scene where police believed the alleged abduction had occurred, and said he was confronted by a man and did not know why, according to Monday’s written statement.

After Auger’s arrest, police conducted follow-up interviews and met with additional witnesses, according to the recent statement. Based on new information, police determined that while Auger was in the area of Ocean Park Road, he did not pick up or move a child at any time, according to the statement.

The York County District Attorney’s office, in consultation with the Old Orchard Beach police department, has dismissed the criminal charge brought against Auger.

According to the statement, police are investigating whether the parents should be charged with filing a false public report. When the investigation is complete, the case will be reviewed by the District Attorney’s office, according to the statement.