A potentially dangerous situation in Fond du Lac turned out to be a false report.
Officers were dispatched to Maple Avenue near Winnebago Lutheran Academy at 3:10 Tuesday afternoon on a report of a man with a firearm.
The caller reported that the man was walking on the sidewalk when he placed the weapon in the snowbank.
The school was immediately placed on lockdown, and a large police presence swarmed the area.
The man was confronted, and the situation was stabilized.
It was then learned that the man never possessed a gun and that the report was false.
It was then determined that the caller was the man’s sister, who wanted to get him in trouble, making this a swatting incident.
Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein said of the incident, “We have zero tolerance for swatting. False reports involving weapons near schools are crimes, not pranks, and they put lives at risk. We will pursue charges.”
