Streetsboro teen charged after 'swatting' call results in armed police response to home
A Streetsboro teen is facing an adult felony charge alleging he called police claiming to be a woman whose daughter was threatening her with a gun at their home.
Streetsboro Police Chief Tricia Wain said Thursday that officers responded to the home in May, but the matter was resolved quickly and there were no injuries.
The 18-year-old male pleaded not guilty in Portage County Court of Common Pleas to a fourth-degree felony swatting charge on Wednesday, according to court records.
According to the FBI, swatting occurs when someone falsely reports an emergency, such as a hostage situation, that results in an armed law enforcement response to a location, often including SWAT. Such calls have been reported nationwide since the early 2000s.
The teen was released on a personal bond, with a condition that he continue taking unspecified medications. The Record-Courier is not identifying the teen.
Wain said police received a call from someone reporting that her 17-year-old daughter was threatening her with a gun at their home at about noon May 21.
"They are actual people that he named and provided the address and provided a description of," Wain said.
Wain said patrol officers initially staged at a nearby location to prepare for a "tactical response." Officers then went to the home and surrounded it.
"At one point, the juvenile female victim opened the door," said Wain. "[Police] started giving commands. [The residents] had no idea that the police were out there and what was going on. She panicked, shut the door and went back inside.
"We had dispatch contact the home by phone to find out that the mother had no idea what was going on, there was no no attempt on anybody's life, this was all just made up. So the dispatcher instructed them to come out with their hands empty and just listen to the officers and they all made contact and things were resolved relatively quickly."
Wain said the teen was identified as a suspect. An indictment was filed this week.
Wain said she did not know whether the teen knew the girl and her family, but he is acquainted with a 15-year-old male who was involved in an apparent dispute with the girl and that may have been a motivation for the incident. The younger male may also be charged at some point, said Wain, but his possible involvement in the incident is still under investigation.
Swatting calls put both victims and even police in danger if victims arm themselves without realizing what is happening, according to the FBI. In a stark example, police shot and killed a Wichita, Kan. man after they responded to a swatting call at his home in 2017. The caller claimed someone had killed a family member at the home, was holding two others hostage and was pouring gasoline around the home and threatening to set it on fire. Two men, one from Ohio, were charged in the case.
More: After attempted murder charge dismissed, man sentenced for stabbing in Ravenna
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro teen charged with felony for alleged 'swatting' call
