>>1263289They allege he has a pattern of referring to the same weapons, like AR-15s and pipe bombs, in his calls, in addition to making references to Satan. They also allege they have even found posts where Filion has admitted to swatting his own home, documents say.
Filion and his father agreed to an interview, but when agents pressed Filion on whether he swatted his own home, his father became confused and Filion became upset and terminated the interview, court documents say.
An attorney for Filion did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma referred to the arrest in pointing to the dangers of swatting.
The arrest warrant affidavit notes that swatting, which is the false reporting of a crime in progress to draw law enforcement to a particular location, is dangerous for both the responding officers and victims and can result in the victims’ accidental killings. Swatting also ties up significant law enforcement and emergency resources, the affidavit says.
“Swatting is a perilous and senseless crime, which puts innocent lives in dangerous situations and drains valuable resources,” Lemma said. “Make no mistake, we will continue to work tirelessly in collaboration with our policing partners and the judiciary to apprehend swatting perpetrators.”
Swatting is also difficult to track down, with those making the fraudulent calls often using technology to disguise their voice, caller information and location.
Swatting became a national story after several high-profile incidents involving members of Congress, the White House and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president. Haley was the target of two recent swatting incidents at her home in South Carolina. Both cases were closed with no arrests made.
