COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police were sent to the homes of an Ohio lawmaker and Ohio's Attorney General, Dave Yost, after a December 26 swatting call, according to police records.
State Representative Kevin Miller, who represents Ohio's 69th District, took to social media after police were called to his home that afternoon.
"Shortly after 3 p.m. today numerous Sheriff's Deputies responded to my residence on a false report of a shooting," wrote Miller. "This 'swatting incident' put several lives at risk and was a huge waste of resources."
He then thanked Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp and his team for their response, which he called "expeditious and professional."
Around the same time that day, a call also went out reporting a shooting at Yost's home.
Records from the Columbus Division of Police say dispatchers in Columbus received a call at around 3:10 p.m. reporting that a man shot his wife at the address provided.
However, the 911 calls provided through a public records request show confusion ensued after the call was made.
A Columbus Police officer can be heard speaking with two different dispatchers, after the callback number left by the original 911 caller bounced the officer back to the 911 call center.
The officer was trying to determine whether anyone at the address provided still had a weapon, but dispatchers were unable to help because the 911 caller disconnected and only provided dispatch with one callback number: their own.
"Officers arrived on scene and contacted the homeowner via telephone, who said she was at work and her husband was out of town," reads the police report. "A member of the husband's security detail was able to open the garage door. Officers were able to clear the house and found no evidence of any crime."
Police said they then notified the counter-terrorism unit. The police report lists Dave Yost as the victim of the false call. Yost did not provide comment about the incident; the day after the call was made, however, Yost posted photos of himself hiking in a state park.
Police have not provided any information on a suspect, or whether they were able to trace the original call back.
Swatting became a fourth-degree felony in Ohio at the start of 2023. In Ohio, the minimum sentence for a person convicted of a fourth-degree felony is six months, but offenders can be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison. Those convicted can also be held liable for reimbursement of law enforcement resources used as a result of the false threat.
If the "swatting" incident results in a person being injured, the offense becomes a second-degree felony, which carries an additional prison sentence of two to five years in prison and a maximum of $15,000 in fines.
