Teen Arrested For OM Prank Calls

From HoCo PD:

Howard County police have charged a 15-year-old former student from Oakland Mills High School for making a series of telephone threats to the school using spoofing software. The teen, who lives in Columbia, was arrested Monday. He is charged with making arson threats, telephone misuse, harassment, second degree assault, making a false statement about a destructive device and disturbing school operations. He was released to his parents on Monday.

The incidents date back to Sept. 10, when police believe the teen phoned the Howard County Board of Education on a three-way call with a second suspect on the line. The second suspect left a voicemail message falsely identifying herself as a specific student’s grandmother and stating the student was carrying a gun in school. Police investigated and determined the allegation was untrue. A second call of a similar nature was also made the following day and was again determined to be unsubstantiated.

On Dec. 1, the suspects made another call, this time to Oakland Mills High School, alleging a different student was carrying a gun. As in the first case, a female on the line identified herself as the student’s grandmother. Again, police investigated and determined the allegation was false.

On Dec. 4, the same suspects called Oakland Mills High School and stated there were bombs at the school. The male caller also made threats about shooting the school’s principal. School staff kept the suspects on the phone line, and the school resource officer spoke with them, determining the call was a prank. Based on information the school resource officer obtained while speaking with the suspects, police believed the threat was not credible, and the school was not evacuated.

In all of the incidents, the calls appeared to be coming from a Texas phone line, leading police to believe the calls were made using online spoofing software. Investigators subpoenaed phone records, which led them to the teen suspect. Charges against the female suspect are pending further investigation. Police do not have additional information to release about the female suspect or her relationship to the teen at this time.