Man gets 30 months for ‘swatting’ calls to 911

Getting Calgary police to investigate dozens of false reports of dangerous crimes has landed a city man a 30-month sentence.

And because Zachary James Jakeman’s remand time will leave him less than two years left to serve, provincial court Judge Allan Fradsham on Thursday also ordered him to be on probation following his release from custody.

“After credit for pre-sentence custody is deducted, the actual aggregate amount of time left to be served (404 days) by Mr. Jakeman will be less than two years,” Fradsham said in a written judgment.

“Consequently, (the Criminal Code) permits me to also order Mr. Jakeman to comply with the terms of a probation order. I find that such an order would be of assistance to him in his rehabilitation.”

Jakeman, 26, pleaded guilty last December to 18 charges, 12 of public mischief for falsely reporting crimes and six of conveying false information “with intent to injure or alarm a person.”

He made at least three dozen so-called “swatting” calls to 911 claiming dangerous situations were in progress, often involving firearms, bringing police tactical units to the scene. Fradsham noted Jakeman’s calls wasted about 1,700 hours in Calgary Police Service staffing hours and cost taxpayers nearly $190,000. A victim-impact statement filed by police “sets out the danger also posed to members of the public by the stressful and tense situation created when police officers respond to what they understand to be a high-risk and dangerous situation,” he said.

Fradsham noted Jakeman had personal issues, including dealing with the murder of his mother at her boyfriend’s hands, that he’ll have to deal with.