Charged in hoax calls

YOUNGSTOWN

A 17-year-old male from Youngstown faces dozens of charges after allegedly calling in hoax phone calls across the country, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

The suspect’s name has not been released, but he faces 73 counts of delinquency, 40 felonies and 33 misdemeanors. He will be prosecuted in Mahoning County.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin said it launched an investigation in response to a hoax phone call it received in March 2018 that resulted in the deployment of a SWAT team to Wisconsin house.

The suspect allegedly said he had shot a male subject and had taken other hostages between the cities of Beaver Dam, Wis., and Columbus.

Detectives collaborated with law-enforcement agencies across the U.S. that also received hoax calls, and traced the calls to Mahoning County.