Villa Park man charged in Wheaton 'swatting' case
A 27-year-old Villa Park man has been charged with felony disorderly conduct for making a false 911 call three months ago in Wheaton, authorities said Monday.
Timothy Jackson, of the 300 block of North Ardmore Avenue, already had been arrested by Wheaton police on Jan. 8 on unrelated charges of aggravated driving with a revoked license, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for a case at the Exxon 7-Eleven at 625 W. Roosevelt Road.
Police said they charged Jackson on Jan. 13 in connection with the earlier "swatting" case. "Swatting" is a term used for cases in which an offender purposely makes a false 911 call in hopes of eliciting a large police response.
Jackson is being held at the DuPage County jail on $20,000 bail for the disorderly conduct charge and on $75,000 bail for the earlier charges.
The "swatting" case began around 4:30 a.m. Oct. 19 when police responded to a 911 call concerning the discharge of a firearm during a domestic disturbance at an apartment building on the 700 block of Childs Street. The caller, who police said they now believe was Jackson, did not provide any additional information.
Officers from Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream and Winfield responded along with a SWAT team, authorities said. Area roads were closed and residents living near the address were temporarily evacuated while officers tried to identify the location.
Police said they then received a second 911 call that provided a specific unit number.
When officers went to that apartment, they said there were no signs of criminal activity.
Wheaton detectives identified Jackson as a suspect over the next two months.
"Mr. Jackson allegedly abused our communities' emergency 911 communications, which resulted in the response of numerous police agencies' officers and a waste of our emergency services resources," Wheaton Deputy Police Chief P.J. Youker said in a written statement. "Let Mr. Jackson's criminal charge serve as a cautionary tale for any individual who wastes public safety resources and endangers lives. We will thoroughly investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable to the fullest extent of the law."