Anne Arundel police are seeking restitution from suspects who made three fake 911 calls that wasted the department?s time and money.
“When we do get our occasional prank call, it?s usually kids 9 and under. Children call out of curiosity and child?s play,” said Sgt. Sara Schriver, police spokeswoman. “For a 19-year-old to do this, especially more than once, is inexcusable and definitely not a laughing matter.”
Christopher Allen Scheibe, 19, of Severna Park, was arrested after the Anne Arundel police traced the calls to one cell phone.
The initial investigation began Sept. 5 when the 911 Center at the county police headquarters in Millersville received a call for a shooting in the Carrollton Manor neighborhood of Severna Park.
After 10 police officers responded to the call, no incident was discovered, Schriver said.
Just three days later, police responded to numerous calls from the same cell phone, which reported a hostage situation at an undisclosed location. A team of 26 police officers including a trained hostage negotiator responded, but again no such incident occurred.
A bomb threat Sept. 10 at Severna Park High School was traced back to the same cell phone. The school chose not to evacuate the students and again the incident was unfounded, Schriver said.
“Anne Arundel County Police Department expended extensive resources and considerable investigative hours to this case … [which] was a great inconvenience to our community as it initially took several hours to investigate and determine these calls unfounded,” according to a police newsrelease.
Scheibe has been charged with making a false statement to an officer, reckless endangerment, threat of arson and telephone misuse, according to court records. Police are considering several other suspects as well.
“The penalties for all of the crimes add up to 28 years in prison,” said Kristin Riggin, spokeswoman for the Anne Arundel State?s Attorney?s Office. “But that type of penalty in this situation is highly unlikely.”
Scheibe?s trial is set for Oct. 16.
