Swatting: making a false call to a 911 Center to generate a large law enforcement response.

A juvenile responsible for numerous swatting incidents in Stafford County last year has been charged and prosecuted for the crimes.

Last year between May and September, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office responded to a plethora of swatting incidents. Stafford High School, Brooke Point High School, Dixon Smith Middle School and Drew Middle School were each plagued with false reports of bombs and shootings that led to large law enforcement responses, lockdowns and evacuations. Ultimately, all the calls were found to be false, but there were many nervous and anxious students, staff and parents during the incidents.

Detectives scoured phone records and developed information which led to a search warrant at the home of a Stafford County juvenile in September of last year. Detectives searching the home recovered computers, hard drives and a server we imagine would rival the National Security Agency.

As a result of the investigation, a juvenile resident of the home was charged with aiding in terrorism and falsely summoning law enforcement. As part of a plea agreement in Stafford Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, the juvenile pled guilty to five counts of conspiring to make terroristic threats and two counts of falsely summoning law enforcement. All electronic devices were forfeited to the Commonwealth.

This has been an ongoing investigation and reaches across the United States and abroad. We continue to work closely with the Stafford County Public Schools to provide a safe learning environment for students and staff. Thank you to our dedicated deputies and detectives for their work on this case.