A fake swatting call was made to the Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' home. A man called emergency services saying he broke into a house, which turned out to be Bellows' home.

A fake emergency call to police resulted in officers responding Friday night to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows just a day after she removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause.

She becomes the latest elected politician to become a target of swatting, which involves making a prank phone call to emergency services with the intent that a large first responder presence, including SWAT teams, will show up at a residence.

Bellows was not home when the swatting call was made, and responding officers found nothing suspicious.

  • pl_woah@lemmy.ml
    233·
    10 months ago

    I’m inclined to believe the local PD knows the addresses of officials… So they let this happen on purpose.

    • Wolf_359@lemmy.world
      112·
      10 months ago

      I doubt it. Not a good look for them.

      My guess would be that they took it more seriously since letting something happen to an elected official would be a PR nightmare for them. That, or they knew it could be a hoax but proceeded out of an abundance of caution.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
      92·
      10 months ago

      Yes, they probably do have those addresses. Given this woman has received innumerable threats against her life, and the police called her since she was not at home, and she is the one that asked the police to check inside the home, which they then did, what exactly would you suggest happen? That the police ignore a call that indicated violence occurring at the home of a public official that has credible violent threats leveled against her?