Video shows why false 911 call led to felony charges in Ohio: I-Team

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Video released to the FOX 8 I-Team shows another example of why a growing number of people are getting hit with serious, felony charges for making false calls to 911

Last year, a new Ohio law took effect against what police call “swatting.”

We now have police video showing how one call led police to break down a door. And, we have a 911 call that led police to check out a woman saying her teen son might kill her. But, investigators found both of those cases were based on lies. So, the people making the calls to police are facing charges for swatting.

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First responders broke down a door after answering a call for someone held hostage and shot. But, police found no one there.

A mother called 9-1-1, saying: “My son is trying to kill me. Please hurry up.”

A dispatcher asked, “Your 14-year-old has a gun?” And, the caller said, “My 14-year-old son, yes ma’am.”

Oddly, when the dispatcher asked, “What does the gun look like?” The caller hesitated, saying, “Um … I don’t know, ma’am. Can you just, please, get here, please?”

Last April, the new Ohio law took effect against swatting, making false calls to 911 and sparking a big emergency response. We’ve seen schools targeted, federal lawmakers, and more.

And, now, other cases piling up.

Swatting, in Ohio, has been labelled a felony crime. Cuyahoga County prosecutors tell us, you could get sent to prison for up to a year and a half. But, if your swatting leads to someone getting seriously hurt, you could go to prison for up to 8 years.

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Court records show that mother called 911 and lied about her son threatening her, simply, because she wanted police there to “remove her unruly child.”

And, in the case of a woman lying about getting shot, a report shows that is tied to a “pattern of harassment and stalking against another woman.”

We had no luck when we tried to find the suspects in these latest cases.

Those cases have just started to move through the courts. One case has not even gone to a grand jury yet.

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