Police said they arrested a young Alabama officer Feb. 7 after he allegedly made multiple swatting calls over a three-month period.
Christopher Eugene Sanspree Jr., 23, has been accused of orchestrating a series of swatting incidents, allegedly filing false reports that not only wasted police resources but also put lives at risk, according to the Prattville Police Department (PPD). While serving in the Montgomery Police Department, Sanspree allegedly made at least six hoax calls during his shifts, PPD said.
PPD disclosed that these false reports were serious, leading to the issuance of six warrants.
“The bond for each warrant was set at $1,000 cash only,” the police department said. “Prattville Police Department Investigators determined that Sanspree made several phone calls to Autauga County E911 to falsely report incidents, also known as ‘swatting.’ These falsely reported incidents were serious in nature and required a substantial amount of resources to respond to each call as well as a considerable amount of investigative resources to be expended.”
Alabama cop allegedly made swatting calls, including claims of machete-wielding madman, while on the clock https://t.co/5YEdg3BV8x pic.twitter.com/6ryemRs4rh
— New York Post (@nypost) February 21, 2024
Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson mentioned that the reasons behind Sanspree’s alleged swatting calls were still not determined. However, the chief pointed out that in one of his statements, Sanspree said he “found it funny,” WSFA reported. Due to this, Thompson expressed his frustration. (RELATED:Maine Secretary Of State Shenna Bellows Swatted After Removing Trump From State Ballot, Police Say)
“Point blank, honest with you, it pissed me off,” Thompson said, according to WSFA. “We have enough to deal with, with the image of police officers, already, and then we have somebody do something like this, and he was on duty when he was doing this. And so, yeah, it highly irritates me and other law enforcement chiefs that are trying to keep the image of law enforcement being a honorable career, and then we have people like this doing stunts like this.”
Following his release on a $6,000 bond, the department has since assigned Sanspree to administrative duties. Sanspree’s future in the force remains uncertain as the investigation proceeds, according to the New York Post.