A Connecticut man is facing criminal charges, including first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree reporting a false incident and third-degree computer crime, all related to making false emergency calls that tied up police, firefighter and emergency resources throughout Connecticut.
The man used a radio to make the false emergency calls and claims that he made them while drunk. However, police claim that the defendant gloated about the calls after some of them were reported on the national news.
The arrest came after authorities from the Western District Major Crime Squad released recordings of four of the false emergency calls. Four different individuals named the defendant as the man on the recording and one even reported that the defendant confessed to making the false calls. Another informant claimed she saw the defendant throw something in a dumpster and a radio was found during a search. Another search of a dump truck revealed packaging from a radio that was later found in the defendant's home.
A number of false radio transmissions are being attributed to the defendant. In Warren, Connecticut, the fire department was called off during a chimney fire. In Sharon, Connecticut, paramedics were called to assist with a medical emergency, however when they arrived, they found that no emergency existed. It's thought that the defendant used lost or stolen portable electronics to call emergency personnel to made-up emergencies.
The defendant allegedly outfitted his vehicle with emergency flashers and a radio. An ex-girlfriend told police that he dreamed of being a firefighter, though he was turned away from a local volunteer fire department because he did not pass a routine background check.
The defendant has a criminal record that stretches back to 1997. He was previously convicted of larceny, burglary and sexual assault.
It's important to remember that these are just allegations and that defendants are considered innocent of criminal charges until they're proven guilty in a trial, even if they have a previous criminal record.
Source: The Berkshire Eagle News, "Great Barrington man held in fake emergency calls case" Isaac Avilucea, Apr. 08, 2014