Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones was the latest legislator in the state to fall victim to a "swatting" incident this week.
Jones wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that his home was swatted Wednesday evening. A bomb threat was also called into his office Thursday morning.
Jones said everyone involved in the two incidents was safe.
"Let me be clear — I will not be intimidated by those attempting to silence me," Jones wrote. "We will put an end to this madness. We are in full compliance with law enforcement, and I am confident that those responsible will be brought to justice and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Swatting involves a suspect making a fake report to local law enforcement about a serious incident. The suspects in these cases then typically give authorities the address of someone well-known or a public figure as the location for the crime, whether it's a hostage situation, murder, bomb threat or otherwise. The "swatter" usually hopes to evoke a large police response to this address, even though the caller fabricated the entire incident.
Northwest Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was also recently targeted by a swatting attempt.
A man in New York called the Georgia suicide hotline just before 11 a.m. on Christmas morning, claiming that he had shot his girlfriend at Greene's home in Rome and was going to kill himself next, Rome Police said. The call was quickly transferred to police when suicide hotline responders recognized the congresswoman's address.
The department said it contacted Greene's private security detail to confirm she was safe and that there was no emergency at her residence. The call was then determined to be a swatting attempt, so the police response was canceled en route.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued a statement on X Thursday, saying his office is working with law enforcement offices to assist as needed.
"The recent swatting incidents are detestable," Carr wrote. "Regardless of whether the targets are public officials, private citizens, Republicans or Democrats, these are not harmless pranks -- they are dangerous crimes that could result in serious injury to all involved. Anytime law enforcement has to pursue a hoax, they are taken away from keeping people safe."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/12/1220725/home-of-georgia-lt-governor-burt-jones-was-swatted-wednesday-evening