A 17-year-old Picton youth was held for bail on Monday after he allegedly sent police in the state of Kansas to a person’s home by way of a fabricated crisis.

On Oct. 8, 2018 Prince Edward County OPP were asked by U.S. authorities to assist in an investigation regarding a swatting call received by the Gardner Police Department.

Gardner is a city southwest of Kansas City, MO with a population of 66,000

Swatting is a harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service into sending a police response team to another person’s address under a fabricated crisis and has its origins in the online gaming world and has resulted in accidental injury and death in the United States.

An investigation revealed that the correspondence allegedly originated from an internet gaming account belonging to a 17-year-old Picton male.

The male, whose name cannot be released due to his age under statute of the Youth Justice Act, was arrested by Prince Edward County officers and charged with two counts of public mischief and three counts of uttering threats.

The youth was held for bail Monday October 9, 2018.

•In other Prince Edward OPP news, a pair of male drivers were charged with operating motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol.

On Sat. Oct 6, 2018 around 3 p.m., A Prince Edward County OPP officer was conducting stationary radar enforcement on County Rd 10 and stopped a vehicle for speeding. While speaking to the driver the officer detected an odour of alcohol. A Drager Alcotest roadside test was administered, resulting in a fail.

A 46-year-old male from Milford was arrested transported to the Prince Edward County Detachment and the man was charged with driving with more than 80 mgs of alcohol in his blood and driving while his ability was impaired. The male driver was released on a promise to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Picton on Oct.  24, 2018.

In the early hours of Oct. 8, 2018,  A 26 year-old-male residing on Loyalist Parkway was arrested and charged with driving with more than 80 mgs of alcohol in blood and driving while his ability was impaired. The man was released on a promise to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Picton also on Oct. 24, 2018. The male was served a suspension notice as well as his vehicle being impounded.

These two charges brings Prince Edward County’s total of 2018 impaired driving charges to 36.

Police are reminding the public to plan ahead with a designated driver, taxi, or a lift from a family member.