‘Swatting’ hoax raises police alarm
The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspected case of “swatting” after a false claim of a hostage situation at a Burnet-area home was reported at 1:50 p.m. Thursday, March 13. Swatting, which is a crime in Texas, is intended to provoke a large-scale police response.
The hoax caller claimed to be a resident of the home, located off of Texas 29 east of Burnet, and said they were being held hostage by four armed individuals. A large number of agencies mobilized to respond, but BCSO Chief Deputy Alan Trevino, who lives near the house, recognized the address and called the actual homeowner, who was out of town in Colorado.
Deputies confirmed with the man’s wife, who was at home, that no emergency was taking place.
Investigators are working to track down the caller and think it might have been linked to the targeted homeowner’s professional life.
The caller is believed to have used technology to disguise their identity, making it harder to track them down.
The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the caller’s identity to contact the office at 512-756-8080.
“These types of calls are intended to heighten awareness and cause a tremendous response from law enforcement,” Chief Deputy Trevino told DailyTrib.com. “In this case, the caller claimed someone had been injured, which meant EMS was also involved. It’s tremendously dangerous, and, hopefully, there’s something we can do at the state or federal level to address this.”
Swatting—falsely reporting a violent crime to trigger a heavy police response—can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the harm caused. Often used as a prank or retaliation, it can lead to unnecessary evacuations, accidents, and even deadly encounters.
“It forces officers to respond with lights and sirens for no reason,” explained Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Mike Sorenson. “It also causes panic in neighborhoods, especially when people see a big police presence and don’t know what’s going on.”
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How this gets charged might should depend on what the initiator of the False Report alleged.
If the crime alleged by the perpetrator of the false report is a Felony crime, then the perpetrator of the false swat call should be charged as a Felony.
If the crime alleged in the false report is a misdemeanor, then the perp ought be charged with misdemeanor A.