Prank Alarm Calls Cause $100K in Damage

March 14, 2011

A Vancouver, B.C.-area teenager is charged with 19 counts of making prank phone calls that caused $100,000 in damages last month.

The 16-year-old who can't be named allegedly called restaurants and hotels claiming to be an emergency official and convinced staff to trip fire alarms and sprinkler systems Feb. 11-13, The (Vancouver) Province reported.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Cpl. Peter DeVries said a Province reporter tracked down the youth, who was using an Internet telephone. He also said the youth has a record of similar offenses.

Police said after raiding the boy's home, they found so much electronic evidence of his online activity, it could take prosecutors a year to sort through it all.

Each of the 19 false-message charges could carry a two-year prison sentence, the newspaper said.

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