MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) says an extensive investigation into a series of hoax calls, including an active shooter threat at Dunnellon Middle School, has ended with an arrest in Canada.

MCSO says detectives with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service (SSMPS) in Ontario, Canada, arrested 20-year-old William Tuckett on Wednesday, March 20.

Sault Ste. Marie is more than 1,400 miles away from Ocala.

Dunnellon Middle Active Shooter Hoax

Investigators say on February 16, around 4 p.m., Tuckett called Marion County Sheriff’s Office and threatened to shoot up Dunnellon Middle School.

MCSO deputies responded with a significant police presence.

The sheriff’s posted a 2-minute recording of the hoax call on its Facebook page on Monday.

The caller says his name is Nick and claims he’s sitting in the school parking lot with a gun.

Caller: “I just wanted to let you guys know that I have an AR-15 and that I was about to go into my school right now and I’m in a red SUV and I’m about to go into my school and shoot everyone.”

The caller claims to be suicidal due to bullying.

Caller: “I have a gun pointed at one kid already, so.”

The dispatcher tries to keep the person on the line asking a series of questions including whether the person is a student at the school and the caller claims he is.

Caller: “And, I’m about to shoot someone right now.”

Dispatcher: “Don’t do that, Nick.”

The dispatcher asks the caller his age and at that point he hangs up.

Deputies searched the school and determined there was no threat.

Ocala Hostage Hoax
On February 17, around 5:30 a.m., investigators say Tuckett called MCSO and told them he was holding a victim hostage at gunpoint at a home in Ocala.

Responding officers secured the residence and again determined there was no threat.

The Investigation
On March 18, SSMPS says MCSO contacted them and informed officers of the calls linked to a person in Sault Ste. Marie.

“Through a joint investigation it was determined the accused had made dozens of false calls to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office regarding someone the accused knows in their jurisdiction,” said SSMPS in a post on its Facebook page.

MCSO deputies say Tuckett’s actions stemmed from an online relationship with a 13-year-old in Marion County. When communication with teen ended, deputies say Tuckett resorted to making hoax calls, threatening public safety until the teen resumed contact with him.

“Through this collaborative effort by both the Office of the Sheriff and Sault Ste. Marie Police Services, we were able to apprehend the individual responsible for these dangerous hoaxes,” stated Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods. “Public safety is paramount, and we will not tolerate actions that jeopardize the well-being of our communities.”
MCSO says false reports to emergency services like this is called “swatting” and it poses a danger to law enforcement officers and civilians.

“Those found guilty of perpetrating swatting incidents will face arrest and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” said the sheriff’s office.

Tuckett has been released from jail in Sault St. Marie and is scheduled to appear in court in Canada on April 22.