Sheriff's Office investigating 'false' shooter call

Pennylynn Webb, Palestine Herald-Press, Texas
·1 min read

Feb. 1—The Anderson County Sheriff's Office is investigating a 'false' active shooter call it received from Cayuga Independent School District Tuesday, Jan. 31.

According to Sheriff Rudy Flores, dispatchers received a 'spoofed' or 'false' 911 call at 8:07 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31 from Cayuga High School reporting an active shooter on campus.

Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.

Flores said the campus was briefly placed on lockdown per the school district's protocols, and deputies conducted a complete search of the school, finding the facility safe and secure.

"There was no incident at the scene," Flores said. "This was a false call. The Sheriff's Office will initiate an investigation in an attempt to identify the caller. The phone number appears to be a spoofed or false number."

This case could be considered a Class A misdemeanor false alarm charge, which carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of $4,000.