A 22-year-old Spokane man is accused of extorting his grandmother by conspiring with his friend to tell her he was being kidnapped for ransom, police say.

Tevan T. Williams and his alleged accomplice, Riley D. Hull, 22, were arrested Wednesday after Williams' grandmother said she'd received text messages from a stranger "saying Tevan was being held against his will and would not be released until she paid a ransom," according to court documents.

The 61-year-old woman had been contacted at her north Spokane home on Monday by an unknown man who said Williams owed him money and he planned to rob the home if he didn't get his cash, police say.

The woman said she continued receiving text messages Wednesday saying her grandson would be killed if she didn't pay $500.

She agreed to meet the man at a restaurant near Francis Avenue and North Division Street. The woman and a relative contacted Spokane police, believing Williams "was possibly in grave danger," police say.

Police traced the text messages to a phone belonging to Hull and arrested him and Williams near the planned meeting spot.

Hull and Williams each were ordered to stay in jail on $7,500 bond after appearing in Spokane County Superior Court Thursday on a first-degree extortion charge.

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