By Canadian Press

Fake sex assault complaint: Winnipeg man charged after 79 false calls to 911

Jan 3, 2019 | 9:45 AM

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg man who police believe was high on meth faces public mischief charges after almost seven dozen false 911 calls that included a report of a family being sexually assaulted.

Police say officers went to a home in the city’s northwest just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday to look into the trouble call, but family members said they were fine and had not contacted authorities.

The police service says that over the next 4 1/2 hours, there were another 78 unfounded calls, many claiming someone was in distress, and using fictitious names and addresses.

Patrol officers arrested a man at a residence just before 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

Joseph Paul Peters, who is 23, was charged and detained in custody.

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It’s estimated operators at the communications centre spent a total of two hours on incoming and outgoing calls to assess their legitimacy and to try to identify the caller.

Police say that does not include additional time spent conducting traces and contacting other resources.

The Canadian Press