A Brooksville man is in custody after a “swatting” incident that drew authorities to a marina in Bradenton, in Manatee County.
The Bradenton Police Department, with assistance from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, arrested the suspect, Ronald Sellars, 33, in connection with a May 29 “swatting” incident at Twin Dolphin Marina.
“Swatting” is the act of making a false emergency report about a critical incident with the intent of triggering a large law enforcement response. These hoax reports divert emergency resources and create unnecessary hazards during emergency responses.
On the morning of May 29, BPD was notified of suicidal comments made through the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline chat function. The writer claimed to be on a boat at the marina, alleged he had killed at least one woman, and said he intended to commit suicide.
The chat messages also included the boat owner’s phone number. Due to the serious nature of the messages, patrol officers, the Drone Unit, SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiation Team responded to the marina.
After several attempts, officers made contact with the boat owner and a woman, both of whom were unharmed and unaware of the online threats. The witnesses told investigators that Sellars, the woman’s husband, had repeatedly attempted to contact them on May 28 and May 29.
Sellars denied contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. However, detectives obtained digital evidence linking Sellars’ devices to the online chat messages.
Sellars was arrested Friday and charged with filing a false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner (second-degree felony) and unlawful use of a two-way communications device (third-degree felony).
Sellars is in custody at the Hernando County jail.