Amherst Man Jailed After Bogus Emergency Call

A 46 year-old Amherst man has been charged with Public Mischief. Paul Dean Hicks was arrested after calling Cumberland District RCMP with a phoney story that prompted police, fire, and other emergency personnel into action.

The bogus call was made at 9am yesterday. The caller claimed a man was being threatened by another man who was holding a gun to his face, and that his daughters had been shot, and his vehicle had been set on fire. The man was reportedly calling from a home on Main Street in Joggins.

RCMP officers from Amherst, Oxford, Pugwash, Truro, and police dogs from New Minas and Port Hawkesbury were dispatched. Several members of Amherst Police Department also assisted with the response, as well as volunteer firefighters from the area. In total nearly 20 police officers and several volunteer firefighters headed to the scene.

Police quickly determined the call was coming from a residence in Amherst. Members of Amherst Police Department located the caller and arrested him within an hour of the initial call. No one in Joggins was being threatened or injured as described in the emergency call. 

Hicks appeared in Amherst Provincial Court yesterday and was remanded. He is scheduled to return to court on August 22nd.