21ST CENTURY CRIME: Teenager hit with 73 counts for “swatting” calls. “A 17-year-old from Ohio placed dozens of fake emergency calls to police.”

The investigation was triggered by an August call to the sheriff’s department in Putnam County, New York. A caller claimed he had shot his wife and was holding his son hostage with an AR-15.

Thankfully, that turned out to be a lie. The house was unoccupied, and the police were able to check the story without anyone getting hurt. But the sheriff’s department didn’t let the issue drop. They began investigating who had placed the call.

“Investigators were able to get information about the phone used to make the fake emergency call,” a Putnam County press release states. “They also learned that there were similar incidents in other jurisdictions around the United States.”

More at the link.

I’m usually in favor of leniency for stupid teens pulling harmless pranks, but SWATting can be deadly, and ought to be dealt with by prosecuting to the max.