Possible 'swatting' prank investigated at Oakland Co. campground

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) - The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is working to track down a prank caller who claimed she had been sexually assaulted at a camp site.

Monday morning, deputies conducted a massive search at the Proud Lake Campground, along with park rangers and the Commerce Township Fire Department. It was prompted by a woman who called a non-emergency number claiming she had been stabbed and sexually assaulted by a stranger. But it turned out to be a hoax.

Investigators call it a case of "swatting", which is making a phony call to mobilize police.    

"This is just really sad that they would, basically, say someone's being raped and stabbed, and all these terrible things are going on, and would cause a response that literally can threaten people's lives, trying to get there quickly to save a life. For what end?" Oakland Co. Sheriff Michael Bouchard wants to know. "What people do these days for enjoyment is kind of staggering."

According to investigators the caller had a 616 area code.

The service provider traced the number to the west side of the state, possibly in Berrien Springs. Proud Lake State Recreation Area is in Commerce Township, about 9 miles northwest of Novi, Mich.