Canadian 20-year-old accused of making dozens of swatting calls to Florida sheriff's office
FILE - Handcuffs sitting on a table. (Bernd Wüstneck/picture alliance via Getty Image)
MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A 20-year-old from Ontario is facing multiple charges after he allegedly made dozens of swatting calls to the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) over two months.
On February 16, William Tuckett called the MCSO and said he was driving to a local school with a gun to shoot students and staff.
When deputies responded to the threat, they later determined there was no immediate threat to public safety.
One day later, Tuckett is accused of calling the sheriff's office again and said he was holding a victim hostage at gunpoint at an Ocala home. Officers responded to the home and determined that no one was being held hostage.
About a month later, on March 18, deputies said they had contacted the Sault Ste. Marie Police about the calls.
During an investigation, officers learned that Tuckett had made dozens of calls to the MCSO regarding a person Tuckett knows in the county.
Tuckett was arrested on March 20 and charged with three counts of public mischief and three counts of conveying false information.
He's scheduled to appear in court on April 22.