BAKER, Fla., Nov. 3, 2023—An emergency call about an active shooter threat at Baker School around 9 a.m. this morning turned out to be what’s known as a “swatting” call.

Rumors about shots being fired at the school were untrue, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

A swatting call is where someone makes threats of violence in an effort to misinform and mislead law enforcement, according to the OCSO.

All students and faculty were safe in today’s incident and the sheriff’s office is conducting a thorough investigation.

No swatting call was received in reference to Crestview High School, according to the sheriff’s office. However, Crestview High and Davidson Middle School were placed on lockdown as a precaution, according to the Okaloosa County School District.

Holt Academy Baker, the child care center located on Georgia Avenue next to the Baker Block Museum, also initiated lockdown procedures.

“This office takes these matters very seriously,” said Undersheriff Charlie Nix. “We will continue to investigate to find out who the individual is that caused this hoax today and tied up the resources and caused the emotional stress of the students, the staff, the parents of this community.”

False calls such as today’s are considered a second-degree felony. If convicted, the punishment for a person who makes a false report of this nature can result in up to 15 years in prison, 15 years’ probation and a $10,000 fine, according to the OCSO.

“I want to be clear, the sheriff’s office will not tolerate such a hoax on any of our schools,” said Nix. “The individual that’s responsible will be brought to justice once we find out who that individual is.”

A swatting incident was reported in Holt in late July. The initial call was regarding an assault on Lighthouse Church Road.

According to information from the sheriff’s office, the call was considered a swatting incident.