Swatting call about fake report of chained baby being stabbed disturbs Athens women

Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald
·2 min read
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FILE - Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., arrives on Capitol Hill, Oct. 24, 2023, in Washington. Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, Monday, Dec. 25, the congresswoman and local police said, marking the latest instance of someone calling in a fake emergency to draw armed officers to her home. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Athens-Clarke police are investigating a false report of a crime that could fit a swatting bill recently passed by the Georgia House of Representatives, but is now under review by the state Senate.

Swatting involves making prank calls to emergency services with a false report of a crime so egregious as to provoke a strong police response. Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt on Christmas Day.

The legislation went back to the Senate recently because the House amended it to add drive-by shooting provisions, according to the Associated Press. Rep. Matt Reeves, R-Duluth, told the Macon Telegraph that the law makes it clear "do not shoot at a dwelling." The story noted that four days earlier a 3-year-old boy was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Athens.

The false report of a crime in Athens was alleged to have occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday at a home in north Athens. Police arrived there in response to a call from Jackson County 911, who reported that someone “chained their baby to the bed and stabbed it because it wouldn’t stop crying.”

The caller also reported that the resident had a gun and wanted to die, police said.

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Officers arrived at the house and with weapons drawn. They approached, knocked on the door and identified themselves as police, according to the report. Two women, ages 48 and 18, came to the door only to find officers pointing their weapons and forcefully telling them to hold up their hands.

Police said the women complied, but neither was found to have a gun or other weapon.

After a search of the home, the women were “very upset” as to why someone would make such a call about their address.

The women told police they understood why police responded the way they did, but the matter was still “extremely” upsetting.

Police Lt. Jody Thompson said Tuesday that this type of crime could possibly fit under the swatting bill currently considered by the General Assembly, although he was not yet familiar with its wording.

If police can determine who made the call on Sunday, the caller could be still be charged under current laws with misuse of a 911 call and making a false report of a crime, according to Thompson.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Fake call of chained baby being stabbed upsetting to Athens women