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A Canadian man is facing charges after making dozens of swatting calls to a Florida sheriff’s office over the course of two months, officials said.
William Tuckett, 20, was charged with three counts of public mischief and three counts of communicating false information for filing false reports of crimes to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the Sault Ste. The Marie police in Ontario announced this on Friday.
Tuckett is accused of making a call about a school shooting threat and a hostage situation that was ultimately determined to be a hoax.
Swatting involves someone calling a false police report to a target’s home for a violent crime, such as a murder, a hostage situation, or another crime that requires a greater law enforcement response. The purpose of the fake police report is to prompt a SWAT team to respond to the target’s home. These hoaxes are illegal and can be deadly.
VIRGINIA TEEN charged with false reports of bombs and shootings at multiple schools
William Tuckett, 20, was charged with three counts of public mischief and three counts of communicating false information. (Sault Ste. Marie Police)
Authorities said Tuckett called the sheriff’s office around 4 p.m. on Feb. 16 and claimed he was driving to a local school with a gun to shoot students and staff. Officers responded to the threat, but after a thorough investigation concluded there was no immediate threat to public safety.
The next morning, around 5:30 a.m., Tuckett reportedly called the sheriff’s office again and said he was holding a victim at gunpoint at a home in Ocala, Florida. Law enforcement officers arrived on scene, secured the home and determined that everyone in the home was safe and no one was being held hostage.
On March 18, the sheriff’s office contacted Sault Ste. Marie Police about the phone calls.
After a joint investigation involving both agencies, officials determined that Tuckett had filed dozens of false reports with the sheriff’s office about a person in their jurisdiction who knows the suspect.
WASHINGTON STATE MAN CHARGED IN MORE THAN 20 SWATTING CALLS IN US, CANADA PLED GUILTY
Detectives from the Sault Ste. The Marie Police Department’s Investigation Services Division arrested Tuckett at his home.
William Tuckett is accused of filing false crime reports with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
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Tuckett was held in custody pending a bail hearing and has since been released. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 22.
Since Christmas, several swatting incidents have occurred involving U.S. Republican and Democratic government officials, including Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, Republican Representatives Brandon Williams of New York and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Democratic Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu and Democratic Secretary of Maine. State Shenna Bellows.
