On apri l5, 2023, at approximately 7:30 pm, Princeton Police officers were dispatched to Meadow Creek Dr. in reference to an aggravated assault and possible barricaded subject.
Multiple agencies arrived on scene due to the severity of the call. Officers made contact with the home owner, in which the call was made reference to. After thorough investigation, it was determined that the call was a hoax, "SWATTING".
The Collin County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) contacted the Pennsylvania State Police regarding the “SWATTING” call that took place in the City of Princeton, Texas.
Swatting refers to a harassment technique most often perpetrated by members of the online gaming community. Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. Swatters do this by making phone calls to emergency lines like 911 and falsely reporting a violent emergency situation, such as a shooting or hostage situation.
CCSO provided digital forensics to Pennsylvania State Police, that led to a location in Jackson Township, Monroe County, PA.
On May 2nd, CCSO and the Pennsylvania SP served search warrants to the suspect’s home in Jackson Township. After a download of a computer in the home was completed, it was confirmed that 9 swatting calls, along with child pornography were discovered on the computer.
A 17 year-old male has been taken into custody on multiple charges including Possession of Child Pornography, False Alarms, False Reports, and possession of Instruments of a Crime.
