(PatriotWise.com) — An Ontario man was charged on March 20 in connection with dozens of swatting calls in Marion County, Florida, over the last two months, WOFL reported.
According to a March 22 press release from the Sault Ste. Marie Police in Ontario, 20-year-old William Tuckett has been charged with conveying false information and public mischief for making multiple false calls to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Ocala, Florida.
Tuckett allegedly called the sheriff’s office on February 16, claiming that he was driving to a local school to shoot students and teachers. Sheriff’s deputies responded in force, only to discover that the call was fake.
Three days later, Tuckett allegedly called again, this time claiming to be holding a hostage at gunpoint in a house in Ocala. Once again, the sheriff’s office responded in force and determined that the residents were safe and no one was behind them or held hostage.
On March 18, Marion County contacted police in Sault Ste. Marie to notify them about Tuckett. During the subsequent joint investigation, police determined that Tuckett had made dozens of calls to the sheriff’s office about a Marion County resident known to the suspect.
Detectives with the Sault Ste. Marie Police’s Investigative Services division arrested Tuckett at his home and charged him with three counts each of conveying false information and public mischief.
Tuckett was arraigned and released on bail. He is scheduled for a hearing on April 22.
Tuckett’s arrest came just one week after federal authorities confirmed that they had identified a person of interest in connection to more than 100 swatting calls targeting Biden administration officials and members of Congress.
According to federal law enforcement officials, the person of interest, who resides in Serbia, is alleged to have made the swatting calls over Christmas. Agents from the US Secret Service and the FBI participated in a search of the individual’s home in Serbia, where electronic devices and computers were seized.
The suspect allegedly made swatting calls targeting DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, CISA Director Jen Easterly, and other senior members of the Biden administration.
New York Republican Rep. Brandon Williams, who was also a target of swatting on Christmas, confirmed with CBS News that a “foreign national living overseas” had been identified in connection to his swatting.
Copyright 2024, PatriotWise.com
