A young man from the area faces probation for “assault” calls he made to Florida police earlier this year about an active shooter at a school and a hostage situation in the community.

At a sentencing hearing last Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie courthouse, attorneys agreed that William Tuckett should receive two days in jail for his actions last February.

They disagreed over the length of the sentence and how and where the 21-year-old should serve it.

Defense attorney Bruce Willson asked the judge to impose an 18-month conditional sentence that his client, a first-time offender, would serve in the community, followed by two years of supervised release.

Prosecutor Robert Skeggs asked for two years less a day of treatment at a facility in the state, as well as 24 months of probation.

After hearing their arguments, Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek postponed his decision until Dec. 12.

Tuckett pleaded. guilty in july Crimes arising from the events of February 16 and 17.

He was found guilty of providing false information with the intent to injure or harm a person.

The Prince Township resident admitted to making anonymous, fake 911 calls to the Marion County Sheriff’s office in Ocala, Florida.

On the first date, Tuckett contacted deputies at 4:06 p.m., telling them he was calling from a red SUV, was armed with an AR-15 and was going to a middle school in Dunellian. He said he was suicidal and was going to shoot the students.

Police, including a tactical unit, flooded the area but found no one and determined there was no danger.

He called at 5:27 a.m. the next day to report a hostage taking in Ocala. He claimed that he was a father holding his daughter at gunpoint.

Officers responded, arrested a man, and soon realized it was a hoax.

Police learned that Tuckett had been communicating online for three months with a 13-year-old girl he described as his “ex-girlfriend.” He was a student of the school.

Willson said his client suffers from cognitive impairment, processes information at a lower rate than his peers, and also has mental health diagnoses. There are attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders that increase with autism.

Tuckett takes a variety of medications for his diagnosed problems and “was off his medication two weeks before the crimes.” Willson told the judge he had difficulty regulating his emotions and was “in way over his head on the internet.”

There are criminals all over the world who play games on the internet, and Tuckett wanted to impress them. He bought gifts for people who threatened or took advantage of him and “learned how to swat from a guy in Ireland.”

Willson said Tuckett’s parents feared for his safety because he would be vulnerable if he were incarcerated. The assessment shows that he has complex needs and that his family had discussed the possibility of assisted living before this incident.

Citing a pre-sentence report, Willson said his client accepted his misconduct. He realizes how serious the situation is and accepts responsibility.

After being charged, Tuckett was referred to the Canadian Mental Health Association and “was responding properly.”

Skeggs argued that a sentence of house arrest would not meet the principles of denunciation, deterrence and rehabilitation. Tuckett was involved in two separate “very serious” incidents that led to police being sent to a secondary school and a home.

The assistant Crown attorney said Swatting was no joke and his actions resulted in police responding with strong force to both situations.

He sent police to the girl’s school and her family’s home while the family was sleeping. Officers surrounded the building, Skeggs said.

“School shootings are a real problem and are getting worse.”

As aggression becomes more common, police resources are wasted at enormous financial cost. Imagine a SWAT team arrives at your home in Florida and you are “confronted by armed police.” “This could kill people.”

Skeggs stated that the young man faced and continues to face a number of challenges while growing up.

The prosecutor told Kwolek that Tuckett had no epiphany and “to this day does not understand the seriousness of his actions.” The pre-sentence report indicates that the defendant did this for petty revenge; Skeggs said he used police resources because the girl did not answer his calls.

He knew that he had overstepped his bounds in the online world, that he was afraid for his family, and that this situation was making him sad.

The Crown concluded that there were multiple victims in this case and that a prison sentence was necessary for denunciation and deterrence purposes.