Illinois Man Arrested After Swatting Police 3 Times In One Day

Calling 911 for any reason other than an emergency is a bad idea. Misusing the service can also lead to an arrest. One of the worst ways to find yourself in trouble is to do what is called "swatting", which is calling 911 to draw a response from police. The punishment for that can lead to a lengthy jail sentence and a hefty amount of time spent in jail.

Rockford Park District Police (RPDP) sent out an advisory this weekend to remind residents that using 911 for any other reason other than emergencies is illegal. This comes after a Rockford man led police to multiple locations in less than two hours. One of the calls got the attention of the Park District's chief who responded to the call while he was in the area while off duty.

1:26 PM, Saturday, July 2

Rockford Police reports the first 911 call claimed there was a drug deal happening at Talcott-Page Memorial Park. When officers arrived a car matching the vehicle description was seen leaving the park.

1:52 PM, Saturday, July 2

Another 991 calls came in about an alleged drug deal at Levings Lake, the description of the vehicle was the same as the first. However, this call was a little more challenging for the police. The driver of the vehicle in question didn't initially follow directions from the officers, which included Park District Police Chief Glover who happened to be in the area in street clothes.

Once it was determined that the subject was not a threat to officers, Chief Glover put his weapon away and conducted a routine investigation. The vehicle was subsequently searched but no illegal drugs were found.

3:00 PM, Saturday, July 2

A third call was made to Rockford Police which was determined to be from the same number and the same voice as the previous two calls. The police reports revealed the caller was intentionally leading police to a car in order to get videos of the interactions. (The location was not mentioned.)

21-year-old Jovawn Reynolds was allegedly making intentional fake 911 calls and waiting for police to arrive to capture their response on video for social media. Reynolds has been charged with false alarm/complaint to 911.

Rockford Police also issued several citations including an obscured license plate and failure to stop. If he is charged for "swatting" he could be subject to a Class 4 felony charge, which is 1-3 years in jail and up to $25,000 in fines. The subject is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

You can read the full report here.