Possible homicide and hostage situation in Lexington turns out to be false call, cops say
A “swatting” call in Lexington prompted a large police response and caused one school to go on lockdown Thursday morning, according to Lexington police.
At 8:19 a.m., police received a call about a possible homicide and hostage situation on the 400 block of Jefferson Street, according to Lt. Dan Truex with the Lexington Police Department. But officers later determined the report to be false after they made contact with the residents of the home where the call was first reported.
Officers searched and cleared the residence after making contact with the people who lived there and found nothing inside, according to Truex. Police left the scene shortly afterward.
Police had setup a perimeter around the area during the investigation, blocking off nearby roads. Truex said Providence Montessori School, a middle school near the scene, was on lockdown during the incident as well.
Recently-signed law enhanced penalties for fake calls to police
In April a new bill was signed into law that made the practice of “swatting” a class D felony. Prison sentences for a class D felony in Kentucky range from one to five years.
The General Assembly defined swatting as, “when a person knowingly causes a false alarm of fire or other emergency to be transmitted within any organization, or to an official or volunteer who deals with emergencies involving danger to life or property.”
The bill was signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear amid repeated incidents of fake calls to 911 across the state.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 10:20 AM.
