Man Charged With 'Swatting Incident' In Wheaton

WHEATON, IL — A Villa Park man is facing multiple charges after police said he made a false 911 call as part of a"swatting" prank. Timothy Jackson, 27, was arrested Jan. 8 in connection with the October incident, which brought DuPage County's M.E.R.I.T. SWAT team to the 700 block of Childs Street.

Police say that on Oct. 19 at 4:30 a.m., they were called to Childs Street after someone made a phone call to report shots fired and a domestic disturbance in the building. The caller did not say which unit in the apartment complex was the location of the disturbance, so police contacted neighboring departments in Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream and Winfield and deployed SWAT members to the scene.

According to police, the caller dialed 911 again and then shared the unit number with police. When police got to the unit, they determined that no criminal activity had occurred and that the incident had been part of a "swatting" prank.

Jackson was ultimately charged with felony disorderly conduct for making a false 911 call in connection with the "swatting." He was also charged with driving with a revoked license, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for an unrelated incident at the Exxon 7-11 at 625 W. Roosevelt Rd.

In a statement, Wheaton Deputy Police Chief P.J. Youker said, "Mr. Jackson allegedly abused our communities' emergency 9-1-1 communications, which resulted in the response of numerous police agency's officers and a waste of our emergency services' resources. Let Mr. Jackson's criminal charge serve a cautionary tale for any individual who wastes public safety resources and endangers lives."

Jackson is being held in DuPage County Jail on $20,000 bond for the swatting charges and $75,000 bond for the unrelated charges.