Ohio Teen Charged in “Swatting” Call that Affected Dodge County

A 17-year-old boy from Youngstown, Ohio faces 73 counts of delinquency for a number of “Swatting” calls around the nation, including one that happened in Dodge County last March. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office was called last March 22nd to a home on Highway 151 in between Beaver Dam and Columbus for a report that a man had fired shots and taken hostages at a home. After arriving, deputies found that it was a “Swatting” call, which is a hoax call designed to create a large law enforcement response. Dodge County Detective Andrew Rolfs worked alongside law enforcement agencies around the country to identify the 17-year-old as the suspect in not just the Dodge County call, but numerous other similar incidents around the country that all originated from Mahoning County, Ohio, where Youngstown is located.

The District Attorney in Mahoning County agreed to handle all of the charges related to the crimes. 40 of the 73 counts the teenager faces are felonies, with 33 misdemeanors. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says while it took some time to bring charges, the perpetrator is being held responsible and he hopes the resolution of the case will “dissuade others from trying this type of activity.”