A 46-year-old Amherst man has been charged with public mischief after he allegedly made a prank call to the RCMP that prompted a massive police response in Joggins, N.S.
Cumberland District RCMP received a call at 9 a.m. Monday that a man was being threatened by another man who was holding a gun to his face. He also said his daughters had been shot and his vehicle set on fire.
The man was reportedly calling from a home on Main Street in Joggins, N.S.
RCMP officers from Amherst, Oxford, Pugwash and Truro, and police dogs from New Minas and Port Hawkesbury were called to the scene, along with several members of the Amherst Police Department and volunteer firefighters from the area.
Police say nearly 20 police officers and several firefighters responded to the call, which they say turned out to be a hoax.
Police quickly determined the call was actually coming from a residence in Amherst. Police in the town located the caller and arrested him at 10 a.m. Monday.
Police say no one in Joggins was threatened or injured, as described in the initial call.
Paul Dean Hicks appeared in Amherst provincial court Monday. He has been remanded into custody until his next court appearance on Aug. 22.
The investigation is ongoing.
