barbee0715
Proud Member
Apparently, Neverland got swatted a few days ago. These kinds of prank calls on celebrity homes have been really on the rise for the last couple of years. Big waste of money for the taxpayers too.
http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/564f7b0b-c0da-5d89-89fb-c2f964f69040.html
'Suspicious' call at Neverland Ranch likely a hoax
March 17, 2015 5:13 pm • Harold Pierce hpierce@leecentralcoastnews.com(0) Comments
Emergency personnel staged themselves outside the iconic front gates of Michael Jackson's former Neverland Ranch Tuesday after receiving reports that a crime had occurred inside.
(3) More Photos
Hoax call at Neverland Ranch spotlights 'swatting'
An unfounded call reporting a crime at Neverland Ranch, former home of Michael Jackson, shines a spotlight on "swatting," a prank designed to … Read more
Law enforcement officials on Tuesday spread out and searched thousands of acres at Neverland Ranch, formerly owned by the late pop star Michael Jackson, after receiving a hoax phone call reporting a shooting, the property owner’s spokesperson said.
“There was some kind of swatting call, someone found a way to make it look as if there was an incident at the ranch and called emergency services — actually no call came from the ranch. There was no issue, nothing happened,” said Owen Bliksilver, a spokesperson for Colony Capital LLC., a Los Angeles-based real estate firm that owns the 2,700-acre Los Olivos property.
The call involved reports of gunshots on the property, Bliksilver said.
Santa Barbara County Sheriffs officials would not confirm details of what they described as a “suspicious” call, but said that it came from a male caller at 3:45 p.m. to a non-emergency line.
“We can’t release details about what the caller said, but it was serious in nature alleging a serious crime at the ranch,” SBCSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover said.
Police officials are still tracing where the call came from and the case is under investigation, Hoover said.
Sheriff’s department officials would not dismiss the call as a hoax until the property was searched, Hoover said.
“We’re not sure whether this call has any legitimacy … we’re still searching the property to determine whether this is an actual call, or not. It’s a large area to search,” Hoover said at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Staff members and security officers who regularly work at Neverland Ranch were on the property Tuesday, Bliksilver said.
At the ranch’s iconic front gates, tucked away off bucolic Figueroa Mountain Road, a gathering of paramedics, fire trucks, and California Highway Patrol officers stood by Tuesday afternoon as a helicopter buzzed overhead.
“We’re treating this as a suspicious circumstance,” SBCSD Lt. Ray Vuillemainroy said at the property’s front entrance as about a half dozen officers staged themselves inside the ranch’s gates.
Many first responders were unsure of the specifics.
“We were just told to come here and be on standby,” one American Medical Response paramedic said.
While Hoover would not classify the call as a hoax yet, she said that if Sheriffs officials do determine there was no crime committed, that it would be “terribly frustrating” and police would be “looking for whoever made the phone call to make sure they are responsible.”
The Neverland Ranch estate was sold by the Jackson family in 2008, and has since been rented out for charity functions and corporate retreats, Bliksilver said.
Harold Pierce covers the Santa Ynez Valley as a reporter for Lee Central Coast Newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @RoldyPierce
Copyright 2015 Santa Maria Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/564f7b0b-c0da-5d89-89fb-c2f964f69040.html
'Suspicious' call at Neverland Ranch likely a hoax
March 17, 2015 5:13 pm • Harold Pierce hpierce@leecentralcoastnews.com(0) Comments
Emergency personnel staged themselves outside the iconic front gates of Michael Jackson's former Neverland Ranch Tuesday after receiving reports that a crime had occurred inside.
(3) More Photos
Hoax call at Neverland Ranch spotlights 'swatting'
An unfounded call reporting a crime at Neverland Ranch, former home of Michael Jackson, shines a spotlight on "swatting," a prank designed to … Read more
Law enforcement officials on Tuesday spread out and searched thousands of acres at Neverland Ranch, formerly owned by the late pop star Michael Jackson, after receiving a hoax phone call reporting a shooting, the property owner’s spokesperson said.
“There was some kind of swatting call, someone found a way to make it look as if there was an incident at the ranch and called emergency services — actually no call came from the ranch. There was no issue, nothing happened,” said Owen Bliksilver, a spokesperson for Colony Capital LLC., a Los Angeles-based real estate firm that owns the 2,700-acre Los Olivos property.
The call involved reports of gunshots on the property, Bliksilver said.
Santa Barbara County Sheriffs officials would not confirm details of what they described as a “suspicious” call, but said that it came from a male caller at 3:45 p.m. to a non-emergency line.
“We can’t release details about what the caller said, but it was serious in nature alleging a serious crime at the ranch,” SBCSD Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover said.
Police officials are still tracing where the call came from and the case is under investigation, Hoover said.
Sheriff’s department officials would not dismiss the call as a hoax until the property was searched, Hoover said.
“We’re not sure whether this call has any legitimacy … we’re still searching the property to determine whether this is an actual call, or not. It’s a large area to search,” Hoover said at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Staff members and security officers who regularly work at Neverland Ranch were on the property Tuesday, Bliksilver said.
At the ranch’s iconic front gates, tucked away off bucolic Figueroa Mountain Road, a gathering of paramedics, fire trucks, and California Highway Patrol officers stood by Tuesday afternoon as a helicopter buzzed overhead.
“We’re treating this as a suspicious circumstance,” SBCSD Lt. Ray Vuillemainroy said at the property’s front entrance as about a half dozen officers staged themselves inside the ranch’s gates.
Many first responders were unsure of the specifics.
“We were just told to come here and be on standby,” one American Medical Response paramedic said.
While Hoover would not classify the call as a hoax yet, she said that if Sheriffs officials do determine there was no crime committed, that it would be “terribly frustrating” and police would be “looking for whoever made the phone call to make sure they are responsible.”
The Neverland Ranch estate was sold by the Jackson family in 2008, and has since been rented out for charity functions and corporate retreats, Bliksilver said.
Harold Pierce covers the Santa Ynez Valley as a reporter for Lee Central Coast Newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @RoldyPierce
Copyright 2015 Santa Maria Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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