SISTERSVILLE - Two teenagers are facing charges related to a prank phone call that made it sound like a little girl was in dire trouble.
The teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, are students at Tyler Consolidated High School. Sistersville police Cpl. Joey Richardson said Wednesday the 16-year-old is being charged with making a harassing phone call and filing a false police report, while the 15-year-old is being charged with conspiracy to make a harassing call and conspiracy to file a false report because "she told the other girl what to say."
Richardson said although punishment for the crimes is up to the juvenile judge, he hopes they are forced to pay for his 46 hours of overtime and other officers' overtime incurred during the investigation. He estimated the total overtime at 60 hours.
"The older girl's parents acted like it was just a prank blown out of proportion. After listening to the message, they changed their minds about that," Richardson said.
In the fake message left on a woman's answering machine, the voice asks for her grandmother, says her mother dropped her off and shrieks about a man who is "going to get me." The woman came to Sistersville police headquarters on Sept. 28 to play the recording for police. The woman's answering machine captured the call before she could get to the phone.
Sistersville police tried to work with the woman's phone company, Suddenlink, to have the call traced. Company officials said it was impossible to trace the call.
Officers spent many sleepless nights and long days of working their regular shifts in addition to investigating the call. About a week later, Tyler County police dispatch received an anonymous call from a girl who said the phone message left on the woman's answering machine Sept. 28 actually was a prank. The caller's number was traced automatically by dispatch, which led officers to a cellular phone owned by a Tyler Consolidated High School student.
Richardson said during his conversation with the teenagers "they sounded more concerned about getting in trouble." A court date has not been set, he said.