A 29-year-old man who falsely reported a gun-wielding intruder outside his Brandywine business embellished his report in order toget more rapid police response, according to Delaware State Police.
Police said Paul T. Smallwood of Wilmington called 911 on Jan. 5 and reported a man outside his business on Silverside Road had a gun. When police arrived, Smallwood told them the man had just left.
Police said Smallwood's story had inconsistencies and under questioning at Troop 1, they discovered that he had made up the story about the gun. Police said in the actual incident, a man Smallwood had had a disagreement with only pulled into the parking lot in front of the business. Smallwood locked the doors and called 911 and told the story about an armed gunman in order to get a quicker police response, police said.
Smallwood was charged with falsely reporting an incident and was released on a $500 unsecured bond.
Police said false reports are not taken lightly, since calls to 911 are prioritized based on their seriousness and the availability of officers. Based on the nature of the call, police may use their sirens and lights to arrive as quickly as possible, putting themselves in harm's way in order to arrive in time to possibly save someone's life or confront an armed person.
