The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is urging the public to assist in identifying an individual who made multiple hoax distress calls within two days. The individual’s actions could lead to federal charges and compromise search and rescue missions.
On October 11th at 3:51 p.m., a call was made over VHF Channel 16 by someone sounding like a male child, stating, “My boat just ran out of gas in the middle of Portland, Maine. Can you send a ski boat out to get me,” before ending the call with “S.O.S.” The signal was traced to a Coast Guard-operated VHF radio tower in Charlotte, Vermont. Using direction-finding technology, authorities believe the caller to be near Burlington, Vermont, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain.
The following day, October 12th, the same individual transmitted another false distress call, again using VHF Channel 16. The message stated, “This is a 25-foot speedboat stuck in the middle of Maine,” followed by two additional “S.O.S” calls.
The use of VHF Channel 16 is restricted to international hailing and distress only. Under 18 U.S. Code § 1038, knowingly transmitting false distress calls is a federal offense. Violators face up to ten years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines, along with the cost incurred during the search operation. “Deliberate misuse of distress compromises the Coast Guard’s mission of providing search and rescue assistance to the maritime community that needs it, and this crime is treated seriously,” according to the official Coast Guard press release.
In 2015, a man from Maine was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay $15,000 for similar false distress calls. Anyone who has information related to the recent hoax calls is urged to contact the Sector Northern New England Command Center at (833) 449-2407.